Officials, advocates praise ruling on citizenship

By: Hannan Adely
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... New Jersey officials and immigrate advocates hailed a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling Tuesday, June 30, [2026] that preserved birthright citizenship, casting the decision as a major constitutional victory and a moment of relief amid a wave of restrictive immigration policies.
..... In a 6-3 decision issued June 30, [2026] the court struck down President Donald Trump's executive order seeking to deny citizenship to children born to parents who are in the country unlawfully or temporarily. The ruling affirmed that they are protected under the 14th amendment.
..... New Jersey played a central role in the legal fight, a coalition of more than 20 states in a legal challenge to stop Trump;s order, in a case that was consolidated under Trump v. Barbara decided on Tuesday. [06/30/2026]
..... "Today, [06/30/2026] the Supreme Court affirmed what courts, legislators, and the 14th Amendment have guaranteed for more than a century: birthright citizens are Americans," New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said during a virtual press conference alongside other state attorneys general.
..... "This is the foundation of who we are as a country. In striking down President Trump's flagrantly illegal birthright citizenship executive order, the court held the president has no power to rewrite our nations citizenship rules with the stroke of a pen."
..... Trump proposed restrictions, if allowed would have had sweeping social and economic repercussion in New Jersey, where one in four residents are foreign born and an estimated 500,000 are undocumented.
..... Trump said the court upholding birthright citizenship is "too bad," while he urged Congress to adopt his citizenship restrictions through legislation.

'Enormous victory'

..... As Trump pledged on the campaign trail to end birthright citizenship, New Jersey's legal team was readying for a fight. Hours after his inauguration, Trump signed the order.
..... The next day, New Jersey - leading a coalition of 18 states - field its legal challenge.
..... Through quick action, some 23 states field challenges and secured injunctions, preventing the order from ever taking effect, Davenport said.
..... Trump v. New Jersey and other legal challenges were consolidated under Trump v. Barbara, which the Supreme Court decided on Tuesday. [06/30/2026] The lawsuit was field by filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and several partner organizations.
..... "The enormous victory we celebrate today [06/30/2026] - and the fact that this order never went into effect - is the result of tremendous work by advocates and public servants across the country," davenport said.
..... Trump argued that the 14th Amendment was intended for the children of slaves and not tourists or undocumented immigrants.
..... His administration claimed that an executive order could redefine eligibility so citizenship is only granted to children of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents.
..... The amendment says: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."
..... After the ruling was issued, New Jersey governor Mikie Sherrill blasted Trump over the attempt to restrict what she called "a foundational constitutional guarantee."
..... "Donald Trump's malicious attempt to tear down this guarantee was so plainly unlawful and reckless that his own hand-picked Supreme court said no," she said in a statement. "We are a nation of laws, and no president should have the power to change that with a stroke of a pen."

A welcome relief

..... The decision carries particular weight in New jersey, which has the second largest population of foreign-born residents after California.
..... About 2.3 million immigrants residence in New Jersey, making up a quarter of the state's population. an estimated 470,000 to 475,000 are undocumented immigrants, according to the American Immigration Council.
..... Advocates said the ruling preserves not only legal protections but also a sense of belonging for millions of families.
..... For many, the reaction was deeply personal.
..... "It felt like a big sigh of relief," said any Torres, executive director of the New jersey Alliance for Immigrant justice, who saw the news alert on her phone. "So many of the decisions coming out in recent weeks have been heart-breaking and scary, especially for immigrant communities. This was truly a welcome one."
..... Torres said that the ruling stood in contrast to other recent immigration-related decisions that have eliminated temporary protections for Syrians and Haitians and made it easier for immigration officials to deny entry to green card holders.
..... Amid a Trump administration push for mass deportation, she said, the court's affirmation of birthright citizenship felt especially significant.
..... "This isn't abstract or distant," she said. "It affect rel people, families, people I love. And at a time when so many policies are narrowing who is protected this decision reaffirms something fundamental about who belongs."
..... "It's not lost as any of us that this is happening in the same week as we are marking the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding. Birthright citizenship is such a cornerstone fact of our national identity that if there is anything for people to celebrate this week, it should be that the court has upheld that."
..... Civil liberates groups echoed that sentiment, Amol Sinha, executive director of the ACLU of New Jersey, called the ruling "a victory for immigrant communicates that honors our nation's promise."
..... "As Americans prepare to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence this decision is a powerful reminder that the Constitution - not the president - determines who is a citizen," Sinha said.

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