TRP Statement: Birthright Citizenship Ruling Puts All Americans' Constitutional Rights at Risk

CHICAGO, IL - June 27, 2025 – The Resurrection Project Immigrant Justice today condemned the Supreme Court's 6-3 decision in Trump v. CASA, warning it strips away constitutional protections from every American by allowing the executive branch to violate constitutional rights against anyone who hasn't individually sued the government.

"When they attack birthright citizenship, they're attacking the foundation of what it means to be American,” said Erendira Rendón, vice president of Immigrant Justice at The Resurrection Project. “If they can strip citizenship from our children today, no family in this country is safe from having their rights taken away tomorrow."

The ruling eliminates federal courts' power to issue "universal injunctions"—court orders that prevent the government from enforcing unconstitutional policies nationwide, even in cases that are blatantly unconstitutional. This tool has protected civil rights, religious freedom, and other constitutional guarantees for more than a century.

The Trump administration can now deny birthright citizenship to newborns despite every lower court ruling finding the executive order to be clearly unconstitutional. Instead of a rapid injunction for a clearly unconstitutional policy, plaintiffs must now mount a lengthy class action challenge, creating the opportunity for the President to enforce clearly illegal policies for weeks or months until the class action lawsuit is able to come into effect.

As Justice Sotomayor warned, "No right is safe in the new legal regime the Court creates. Today, the threat is to birthright citizenship. Tomorrow, a different administration may try to seize firearms from law-abiding citizens or prevent people of certain faiths from gathering to worship."

Starting July 27, children born to certain immigrant families may be denied citizenship documentation. We urge Attorney General Kwame Raoul to continue advocating to ensure all children born in Illinois and the United States receive the full benefits of citizenship.

TRP will continue to work with community members, partners, and elected officials to fight to ensure that the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution is upheld. We encourage everyone to stay informed, know your rights, and connect with trusted, immigrant-serving organizations.