US Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship, Indian-Americans cheer
The US Supreme Court struck down Donald Trump's order restricting birthright citizenship. Indian-American groups said the decision protects immigrant families and upholds the Constitution.
Indian-American advocacy groups and lawmakers have welcomed a US Supreme Court ruling that struck down President Donald Trump's executive order restricting birthright citizenship, saying it reaffirmed that nearly all children born on American soil are citizens.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Trump's bid to end the 150-year-old policy. His executive order had sought to stop babies born to undocumented immigrants and temporary foreign residents from automatically becoming American citizens.
Calling the ruling a major constitutional reaffirmation, Chintan Patel, Executive Director of civic organisation Indian American Impact, said it was a "profound affirmation of who belongs in America". He said, "Indian and South Asian immigrant families are among those most directly threatened by Trump's executive order – communities navigating long visa backlogs and uncertain immigration timelines, where children are often born here long before their parents have a clear path to permanence." He added that the Supreme Court looked at those families and said, "Your children are American. They belong here."
Ajay Jain Bhutoria, a prominent Indian-American community leader, described the judgment as a "monumental victory". "The Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling protects birthright citizenship for immigrant families who built their lives here. As America prepares for its 250th anniversary, this decision honours our history as a nation strengthened by immigrants," he said.
Khanderao Kand, President and Chief of Policy and Strategy of the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies, said the court's decision had provided much-needed certainty for millions of families who have built their lives in America. "The Indian-American community, now nearly 5.2 million strong, includes more than 1.2 million highly skilled professionals and family members waiting in the employment-based green card backlog for years," he said. "We hope this moment also renews the focus on modernising our legal immigration system so that those who play by the rules are treated with fairness, certainty, and dignity."
Indian-American lawmakers Raja Krishnamoorthi, Pramila Jayapal and Suhas Subramanyam also welcomed the ruling, calling Trump's executive order a "blatant and unconstitutional attempt to strip citizenship from children of immigrants all across the country". Krishnamoorthi said the decision "reaffirms a fundamental constitutional principle: every child born in the United States is an American citizen". "Since its ratification in the wake of the Civil War, the Fourteenth Amendment has enshrined the principles of equal citizenship and equal protection under the law, including its guarantee of birthright citizenship," he said.
The Congressional Tri-Caucus, representing Asian Pacific American, Hispanic and Black groups, said the decision affirmed a constitutional principle that has defined the country for generations: every child born in the United States is a citizen of the United States. "This promise was established by the Fourteenth Amendment, affirmed by the Supreme Court in the 1898 case United States vs Wong Kim Ark, and codified into federal law," it said in a statement. The group added that while Trump believes he is above the law, the ruling showed that he cannot override the Constitution or deny people the rights it guarantees "with a stroke of a pen". "His effort to end birthright citizenship and redefine who gets to be an American has failed," the statement said. "As we approach the 250th anniversary of our nation's founding, we stand united in rejecting Trump's dangerous and exclusionary vision of America. We are American, we belong here, and we will continue to defend birthright citizenship for generations to come."
The ruling was welcomed across Indian-American groups and among lawmakers, who said it protected birthright citizenship, upheld the Fourteenth Amendment, and brought certainty for immigrant families, including those facing long visa and green card backlogs.
With PTI Inputs
Indian-American advocacy groups and lawmakers have welcomed a US Supreme Court ruling that struck down President Donald Trump's executive order restricting birthright citizenship, saying it reaffirmed that nearly all children born on American soil are citizens.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Trump's bid to end the 150-year-old policy. His executive order had sought to stop babies born to undocumented immigrants and temporary foreign residents from automatically becoming American citizens.
Calling the ruling a major constitutional reaffirmation, Chintan Patel, Executive Director of civic organisation Indian American Impact, said it was a "profound affirmation of who belongs in America". He said, "Indian and South Asian immigrant families are among those most directly threatened by Trump's executive order – communities navigating long visa backlogs and uncertain immigration timelines, where children are often born here long before their parents have a clear path to permanence." He added that the Supreme Court looked at those families and said, "Your children are American. They belong here."
Ajay Jain Bhutoria, a prominent Indian-American community leader, described the judgment as a "monumental victory". "The Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling protects birthright citizenship for immigrant families who built their lives here. As America prepares for its 250th anniversary, this decision honours our history as a nation strengthened by immigrants," he said.
Khanderao Kand, President and Chief of Policy and Strategy of the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies, said the court's decision had provided much-needed certainty for millions of families who have built their lives in America. "The Indian-American community, now nearly 5.2 million strong, includes more than 1.2 million highly skilled professionals and family members waiting in the employment-based green card backlog for years," he said. "We hope this moment also renews the focus on modernising our legal immigration system so that those who play by the rules are treated with fairness, certainty, and dignity."
Indian-American lawmakers Raja Krishnamoorthi, Pramila Jayapal and Suhas Subramanyam also welcomed the ruling, calling Trump's executive order a "blatant and unconstitutional attempt to strip citizenship from children of immigrants all across the country". Krishnamoorthi said the decision "reaffirms a fundamental constitutional principle: every child born in the United States is an American citizen". "Since its ratification in the wake of the Civil War, the Fourteenth Amendment has enshrined the principles of equal citizenship and equal protection under the law, including its guarantee of birthright citizenship," he said.
The Congressional Tri-Caucus, representing Asian Pacific American, Hispanic and Black groups, said the decision affirmed a constitutional principle that has defined the country for generations: every child born in the United States is a citizen of the United States. "This promise was established by the Fourteenth Amendment, affirmed by the Supreme Court in the 1898 case United States vs Wong Kim Ark, and codified into federal law," it said in a statement. The group added that while Trump believes he is above the law, the ruling showed that he cannot override the Constitution or deny people the rights it guarantees "with a stroke of a pen". "His effort to end birthright citizenship and redefine who gets to be an American has failed," the statement said. "As we approach the 250th anniversary of our nation's founding, we stand united in rejecting Trump's dangerous and exclusionary vision of America. We are American, we belong here, and we will continue to defend birthright citizenship for generations to come."
The ruling was welcomed across Indian-American groups and among lawmakers, who said it protected birthright citizenship, upheld the Fourteenth Amendment, and brought certainty for immigrant families, including those facing long visa and green card backlogs.
With PTI Inputs
