Our immigrant parents left behind family and familiar rituals to seek a better future for us. Being born in the U.S. gave us access to educational, economic, and social opportunities that may have been limited in our home countries long ago.

Now Trump wants to take that away from us.

Yesterday, Donald Trump signed an executive order that would terminate birthright citizenship, a bedrock principle enshrined in the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States constitution.

However, a presidential executive order alone cannot set aside birthright citizenship. Only a constitutional amendment can end birthright citizenship.

Impact of Trump’s Executive Order

By signing an executive order to end birthright citizenship, Trump is trying to undo over a century of legal precedent by punishing children born in the United States to mothers and fathers who are not U.S. citizens or green card holders. This action unjustly relegates them to second-class status by stripping them of federal benefits and services — an extremist move even by his extremist standards.

The order would block access to U.S. passports, social security cards, lunch programs, healthcare access, federal student aid, and other essential benefits. Denying these fundamental needs based on parents’ immigration status not only jeopardizes the well-being of these children, but also harms the broader community, leading to devastating social, political, and economic consequences. 

Our History is Tied to the Legacy of Wong Kim Ark and Birthright Citizenship

United States v Wong Kim Ark is a landmark Supreme Court case that affirmed the principle of birthright citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Wong Kim Ark was born in 1873 at 751 Sacramento Street in San Francisco Chinatown. His father, Wong Si Ping, and his mother, Wee Lee, owned a grocery store but were unable to naturalize as a U.S. citizen at that time. 

In 1894, he left to visit his wife and child in China with the intention of returning to the United States. Upon reentry, he was denied admission on the false basis that he was not a citizen of the United States.

Left: Wong Kim Ark (Source: National Archives)

While he was detained, the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association hired an attorney and the case was litigated all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. Ultimately the Court ruled that birthright citizenship applied to any and all children born in the United States including those whose parents were immigrants.

Right: Officers of the San Francisco Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, also known as the Six Companies

Source: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Because of Wong Kim Ark and his legacy, children of immigrant parents have been able to thrive and grow in the United States. We must not let Donald Trump overturn this powerful legacy that represents America’s promise of equality and justice for all.

SPEAK UP: Will you help us by opposing Trump’s executive order threatening birthright citizenship? Send a letter to Donald Trump, Members of Congress, and Federal Agency Leadership.

Letter Opposing the Executive Order Threatening Birthright Citizenship 

To: President Donald Trump, Members of Congress, and Federal Agency Leadership

We strongly oppose the executive order to deny federal benefits, such as passports and social security cards, to  children born in the United States to mothers and fathers who are not American citizens or green card holders. This policy undermines the bedrock principle of birthright citizenship enshrined in the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution and relegates children of immigrants to second class status. 

The Fourteenth Amendment explicitly guarantees citizenship to all individuals born in the U.S., regardless of their parents’ immigrant status. This principle was reaffirmed by the Supreme Court in United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898), establishing a legal precedent that has remained unchallenged for over a century. Attempts to bypass this constitutional guarantee through an executive order is both unlawful and unconstitutional.

Why This Executive Order Must Be Rescinded 

  1. Violates the U.S. Constitution: The Fourteenth Amendment guarantees citizenship to all individuals born in the United States, regardless of their parents’ immigration status. Denying federal benefits to U.S. citizens undermines this foundational principle and sets a dangerous precedent.
  1. Unjustly Punishes U.S. Citizens Born to Immigrants: Denying basic rights and services to U.S. citizen children based on their parents’ immigration status creates an undue hardship, perpetuates inequality, and contravenes our nation’s values of fairness and justice.
  1. Intentionally Sows Chaos in Government: Federal agencies tasked with implementing this order would face immense legal and logistical challenges. This policy would result in discrimination, disorder, wrongful denials of services with no right to appeal, inconsistent interpretations of the law between federal and state governments, and a continued loss of trust in government institutions.
  1. Harms Public Health and Safety: Restricting access to government-issued identification like U.S. passports and social security cards, lunch programs, healthcare access like SNAP, federal student aid, and other essential services for U.S. citizens based on their parents’ immigration status endangers their well-being as well as that of our larger community, and will lead to devastating social, political, public health, and economic consequences. 

A presidential executive order cannot set aside birthright citizenship. Only a constitutional amendment to the Fourteenth Amendment may terminate birthright citizenship. This can only be achieved by two-thirds majority vote in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, and then ratification by two-thirds of the State legislatures.

We call on President Donald Trump to immediately rescind this executive order and uphold the constitutional rights of all U.S. citizens. We urge Congress to take swift legislative action to protect birthright citizenship and ensure that federal benefits remain accessible to all eligible U.S. citizens, regardless of their parents’ immigration status.

By sending this message, we affirm our commitment to defending the rights of all U.S. citizens and we stand behind the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.

Name:

City/State

Email:

Signature:

PLEASE SHARE: bit.ly/protectbirthrightcitizen