The Leadership Conference Condemns President Trump’s Newest Attack on the 14th Amendment

The newest executive orders aimed at restricting birthright citizenship still can’t rewrite the U.S. Constitution

WASHINGTON — Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement:

“Our Constitution is clear. Being born here means being a citizen here. Yesterday, President Trump signed two new executive orders aimed at narrowing birthright citizenship, just weeks after the Supreme Court rejected his first attempt to unilaterally rewrite this right so clearly enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. We will not stand idly by while a sitting president seeks to undermine our citizenship rights.

“This is another effort by President Trump to double down on taking away our civil rights and distract from a bad jobs report, high gas prices thanks to a seemingly endless war, and the next round of cuts to health care for Americans. The unconstitutional orders target so-called ‘birth tourism,’ but would chip away at the 14th Amendment as we know it. His actions represent yet another assault, on not only immigrant communities, but on the civil rights of all people in this country.

“Birthright citizenship as secured by the Constitution belongs to everyone born here, not to executive discretion. It’s guaranteed by the 14th Amendment, and we’ll fight to keep it that way.”

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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