The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down an effort to limit birthright citizenship, ruling that such restrictions are unconstitutional and reaffirming long‑standing interpretations of the 14th Amendment.
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The decision represents a significant setback for President Donald Trump, who has made ending birthright citizenship a priority. Following the ruling, he urged Congress on Truth Social to “start TODAY to work on ending expensive and unfair to our Country, Birthright Citizenship.”
For many Americans, the ruling brought relief. Yareliz Mendez‑Zamora, who was born in the United States to a mother who was undocumented and emigrated from Nicaragua, said the decision protects families like hers.
“I am a product of the 14th Amendment,” she said. “This is again a sense of relief in our communities, and also I am excited to see that the Supreme Court really stood its ground and said enough is enough, no more.”
In a notable ideological alignment, Chief Justice John Roberts joined Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett — along with the Court’s three liberal justices — in the majority opinion.
Roberts wrote that “citizenship, then and now,” remains a foundational promise of the nation.
“The Framers of the Fourteenth Amendment extended that promise to ‘every free‑born person in this land.’ We keep that promise today,” he wrote.
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Justice Samuel Alito authored the dissenting opinion, arguing that the ruling “preserves a powerful incentive to enter or remain in this country illegally,” and described birthright citizenship as a “medieval rule.”
Charles Zelden, a constitutional law professor at Nova Southeastern University, noted that birthright citizenship carries both benefits and obligations.
“It comes with a lot of perks,” he said, “but it also comes with a fair amount of responsibility, including paying taxes to the U.S. government.”
The ruling comes as new polling from NBC News explores what Americans consider essential to being “truly American.”
At the top of the list: believing in liberty and equality, followed by voting. Near the bottom: believing in God and being born in the United States.
The issue has been central to Trump’s immigration agenda. He signed an executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship on the first day of his second term. With the Supreme Court blocking that effort, he’s urging Congress to move on the matter.
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