The Leadership Conference Coalition Opposes Efforts to Undermine Birthright Citizenship

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 2, 2026
Contact: Brittany G. Cummings, [email protected]

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and the 45 undersigned organizations express deep opposition to the ongoing effort to undermine birthright citizenship in the United States. The Trump administration’s executive order seeking to deny citizenship to certain children born on U.S. soil represents a direct attack on the Constitution, the rule of law, and the foundational principle that all people born in this country are equal under it. We urge the Supreme Court to resoundingly strike this order down.

Birthright citizenship is not a policy preference. It is a constitutional guarantee enshrined in the 14th Amendment, which affirms that all persons born or naturalized in the United States are citizens. This principle has stood for more than 150 years as a safeguard against discrimination, exclusion, and the creation of a permanent underclass. It is one of the clearest expressions of who we are as a nation.

Attempts to reinterpret or revoke this right through executive action are unlawful and dangerous. Courts across the country have already recognized that such actions violate the Constitution. The president does not have the authority to unilaterally redefine who is a citizen. To allow otherwise would set a dangerous precedent that threatens the very notion of citizenship itself.

This effort does not exist in isolation. It is part of a broader strategy to reshape who has a voice in our democracy. Alongside proposals like the SAVE Act, which would make it harder for millions of eligible Americans to vote, and legal challenges that weaken protections under the Voting Rights Act, the attack on birthright citizenship reflects a coordinated attempt to control who belongs, who participates, and who is heard.

The consequences of undermining birthright citizenship would be severe and far-reaching. If allowed to stand, this order would deny citizenship to over 150,000 children born in the United States each year—children who would grow up in the only country they have ever known, yet be denied basic rights, protections, and opportunities. This would create widespread legal uncertainty, destabilize families, and deepen racial and economic inequality.

We are also deeply concerned about what these efforts signal for the future. Public rhetoric suggesting that citizenship can be questioned, redefined, or even revoked threatens the very foundation of equal protection under the law. We cannot ignore the real risk that such ideas could lead to broader attempts to strip rights from those already recognized as citizens, particularly in communities of color that have historically borne the brunt of discriminatory enforcement.

The Supreme Court must reject this effort to undermine birthright citizenship and affirm the constitutional principles that have long defined our democracy. Citizenship must remain a shared promise of belonging, equality, and protection for all.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

AFT
American Association of People with Disabilities
American Association of University Women (AAUW)
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
Americans for Democratic Action (ADA)
Andrew Goodman Foundation
Arab American Institute (AAI)
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC
Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote)
Black Voters Matter Fund
Children’s Defense Fund
Children’s Rights
Coalition on Human Needs
Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC)
Fair Fight Action
Juvenile Law Center
League of Women Voters of the United States
National Association of Social Workers
National Council of Jewish Women
National Hispanic Media Coalition
National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC)
National Parents Union
National Urban League
National Women’s Law Center
NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
People For the American Way
Planned Parenthood Action Fund
Public Advocacy for Kids (PAK)
South Asian Public Health Association (SAPHA)
Southern Poverty Law Center
The National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (National CAPACD)
The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA)
The Sikh Coalition
Transformative Justice Coalition
UnidosUS
Union for Reform Judaism
Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice
United Church of Christ
Voto Latino
Western States Center