FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Linda Paris, Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, 202-308-5186, [email protected]
Washington Lawyers’ Committee Statement Regarding Amicus Brief on Birthright Citizenship Order
February 26, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On April 1, 2026, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Trump v. Barbara, which challenges President Trump’s efforts to end birthright citizenship. National immigrants’ rights organizations, represented by the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs and Asian Americans Advancing Justice, today filed an amicus brief arguing that the executive order is unconstitutional and undermines the foundational assumptions of the U.S. immigration system. The coalition includes OCA, LULAC, ASAP, CASA, MRNY, and others. Several amici organizations have served as plaintiffs in separate lawsuits challenging the Executive Order. Sarah Bessell, supervisory counsel at the Committee, issued a statement opposing the Order.
“For more than 150 years, the citizenship status of a child born in the United States has not depended on their parents’ legal status. Whether a mother or father is a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiary from one of 17 countries, humanitarian parolee, or work or student visa holder, these labels have not affected a child’s citizenship. The fundamental consideration has been whether a baby was born on U.S. soil.
“No unilateral action by the President of the United States should circumvent the Constitution and revoke citizenship from babies born in the U.S. to noncitizens, including those with lawful or enduring connections to this country. Any other outcome is a path to chaos.
“Birthright citizenship is an essential element that upholds the ideals of an American multiracial democracy. The Constitution guarantees that every child born within our nation’s borders is recognized as a U.S. citizen, protected and valued under the law.”
Read the amicus brief here.