Advancing Justice – AAJC, OCA, and WLC Welcome Supreme Court Ruling Protecting Birthright Citizenship
For Immediate Release
June 30, 2026
Media Contact:
Aleisha Flores, (771) 233-8202, aflores@advancingjustice-aajc.org
Linda Paris, (202) 308-5186, Lparisbello1@outlook.com
Washington, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the guarantee of birthright citizenship by striking down an unconstitutional executive order in Trump v. Barbara, which is also at issue in OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates v. Rubio, in which Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC and Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs (WLC) represent OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates and other plaintiffs.
For more than 150 years, the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of birthright citizenship has ensured that there would be no permanent underclass in the United States. The Supreme Court made that clear in 1898, when it held in United States v. Wong Kim Ark that a child born in the United States to Chinese parents was a citizen—even though racist federal laws prohibited Asian immigrants from naturalizing.
John C. Yang, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC (Advancing Justice – AAJC), said: “We applaud the Supreme Court’s decision to reaffirm a fundamental guarantee of our Constitution: that children born in this country are citizens of this country. The Supreme Court refused to rewrite our history and the Constitution and redefine what it means to be American. Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC will remain committed to defending immigrant communities and combating anti-Asian hate.”
Thu Nguyen, Executive Director of OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates (OCA), said: “Today’s decision rejects a dangerous attempt to undermine the promise of birthright citizenship and create fear and uncertainty around the legal status and belonging for millions of families across the country. We will continue working with partners nationwide to protect civil rights, advance racial justice, and push back against efforts to divide our communities for political gain.”
Joanne Lin, Executive Director of Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs (WLC), said: “Today’s Supreme Court decision reaffirms what has been the law of the land since 1868: Infants born on U.S. soil are U.S. citizens guaranteed equal protection under the law. No president can strip them of their citizenship or their civil rights.”
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About OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates
Founded in 1973, OCA–Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national, member-driven social justice organization of community advocates dedicated to advancing the sociopolitical and holistic well-being of all Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs). Learn more about our work at ocanational.org/about.