Dear John,
Who is considered an American, and who gets to decide? For the past 157 years, the answer has been clear: if you’re born here, you’re an American, a status granted by the 14th Amendment. Now, that foundation is under attack.
Since taking office a month ago, Donald Trump has been attempting to strip this constitutional right away from day one. His actions target immigrant communities and threaten to leave certain babies born on U.S. soil stateless, as well as create a class of children who would grow up here but be denied the rights of citizenship.
New York, we’ve had enough. The NYIC is taking Trump to court to defend birthright citizenship and protect our constitutional rights.
Donald Trump knows his challenges are a violation of our Constitution, and he clearly doesn’t care, as long as his actions sow fear and chaos in our communities. Courts throughout the country have sided against Trump’s order, reinforcing birthright citizenship as a constitutional right. But the fight is far from over.
If this ban takes effect, thousands of children born and raised here would no longer be considered American citizens. They'd become a new class of undocumented people—living their entire lives here but denied the full rights of belonging.
Joining us in this fight is LatinoJustice PRLDEF, leading the legal strategy, and a young Venezuelan woman who is pregnant and currently holds Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The Trump Administration has revoked her TPS, leaving her undocumented in the coming months and at risk of deportation to a country where her life is in danger. Now, they want to deny her baby the right to be an American.
The 14th Amendment was meant to move us forward as a nation, to ensure that no one is denied their rights based on where they come from or who they are born to.
We will continue fighting to uphold this right—for immigrant New Yorkers and for all of us.
Will you stand with us in this critical fight?
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