‘They’re Americans, too’: Valley leaders back Supreme Court ruling upholding birthright citizenship

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday to uphold birthright citizenship, rejecting an effort by the Trump Administration to limit citizenship for some children born in the United States.

 

The 14th Amendment provides citizenship to people born in the United States and “subject to the jurisdiction thereof.” The court’s decision keeps in place a constitutional protection that has stood for more than a century.

 

Immigration Attorney George Rios said the ruling brings relief to immigrant families in the Central Valley who were left wondering what the case could mean for their children.

 

“The decision itself really upholds what everyone’s been arguing all along, which is the Constitution is very clear,” Rios said. “If you’re born in the United States, regardless of what your parent’s legal status is, you are a U.S. citizen.”

 

Rios said the Trump Administration’s executive order created confusion and fear for some families.

 

“Regardless of what their situation is, they were afraid,” Rios said. “They didn’t know what this was going to mean for their kids. And again, even individuals who have been here, they didn’t know what it was going to mean for them.”

 

Democratic Congressman Jim Costa also responded to the ruling, saying in a statement that “This administration’s attacks on immigrants has upended the lives of millions of families, including many here in our San Joaquin Valley.”

 

Costa went on to say, “Today’s decision is an important reminder that no president can rewrite the Constitution with the stroke of a pen. But our work is far from over.”

 

Republican Assemblymember David Tangipa said the court has settled the question for now, but he believes the broader immigration debate is not over.

 

“I do agree with quite a bit of the dissent and Justice Clarence Thomas’s dissent that talks about how, you know, this birthright tourism and things and being subject to the jurisdiction thereof actually matter,” Tangipa said.

 

Tangipa said if birthright citizenship laws are going to change, that decision should come from Congress.

 

“That needs to be a congressional action, not a Supreme Court decision,” Tangipa said.

 

Still, Tangipa acknowledged the ruling brings clarity for people who were born in the United States and have only known this country as home.

 

“They’ve only lived in one country their entire life, and they have no ties to a foreign nation,” Tangipa said. “I believe that they’re Americans, too.”