DistantNews
Support us
🇮🇳 India /Crime & Justice

US Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship, rejects Trump bid

From Hindustan Times · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency Outcome reported
  • The US Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship, rejecting President Trump's bid to end the policy for children born on American soil.
  • Chief Justice John Roberts stated that citizenship primarily depends on birthplace, not parents' immigration status, fulfilling the promise of the Fourteenth Amendment.
  • Indian-American groups and lawmakers welcomed the ruling, viewing it as a significant victory for immigrant families navigating complex immigration timelines.

The US Supreme Court has affirmed the long-standing policy of birthright citizenship, ruling that nearly all children born on American soil are citizens regardless of their parents' immigration status. The decision on Tuesday rejected President Donald Trump's attempt to alter the 150-year-old tradition.

Citizenship, then and now, was the right to have rights, to freely participate in our political community. The Framers of the Fourteenth Amendment extended that promise to ‘every free-born person in this land.’ We keep that promise today.

— Chief Justice John RobertsExplaining the Supreme Court's decision to uphold birthright citizenship.

In a 6-3 decision, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that birthright citizenship is fundamentally tied to birthplace. "Citizenship, then and now, was the right to have rights, to freely participate in our political community," Roberts stated. "The Framers of the Fourteenth Amendment extended that promise to ‘every free-born person in this land.’ We keep that promise today."

We break no new ground today.

— Chief Justice John RobertsDescribing the Supreme Court's ruling on birthright citizenship.

The ruling has been met with widespread approval from Indian-American advocacy groups and lawmakers. Chintan Patel, Executive Director of Indian American Impact, called the decision a "profound affirmation of who belongs in America." He noted that Indian and South Asian immigrant families, often facing long visa backlogs, were particularly threatened by Trump's proposed executive order.

a profound affirmation of who belongs in America.

— Chintan PatelExecutive Director of Indian American Impact, on the Supreme Court ruling.

Ajay Jain Bhutoria, a prominent Indian-American community leader, hailed the judgment as a "monumental victory." He emphasized that the decision honors America's history as a nation built by immigrants. Indian-American representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi, Pramila Jayapal, and Suhas Subramanyam also celebrated the ruling, condemning Trump's order as an "unconstitutional attempt to strip citizenship."

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.

— Chintan PatelExecutive Director of Indian American Impact, on the implications of Trump's executive order.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hindustan Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog