On Friday morning, the Supreme Court announced a 6-3 decision that restricts the ability of lower federal courts to issue nationwide injunctions, effectively narrowing protections against an executive order that seeks to curtail birthright citizenship (among other potential immigration-related policies). We are very concerned about the impact this decision will have on immigrant families. 

“Today’s ruling opens the door to a dangerous patchwork of rights in this country, where a child’s citizenship may now depend on the judicial district in which they’re born,” said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, President and CEO of Global Refuge.

Even by 2025 standards, the pace of immigration news over the past month has been dizzying. Unfortunately, many of these changes have a common theme: the revocation of legal status for immigrants who had used lawful pathways or channels to arrive or remain in the country.

Through court rulings and new policy decisions from the administration, hundreds of thousands of immigrants have suddenly seen their statuses erased or invalidated. With the stroke of a pen, the federal government, backed by the Supreme Court, has transformed many lawfully present immigrant populations into unauthorized residents—putting them at immediate risk for detention and deportation.

Earlier this month, Dr. Tala AlRaheb from the Mobilization and Faith Relations team joined First Lutheran Church in St. Peter, MN for Pentecost Sunday, where she preached on the call to create welcoming communities. Following the service, members from various faith communities in St. Peter gathered for a potluck and to hear a presentation from Maria, a member of the Global Refuge Advocacy and policy team, on how to advocate for immigrants and refugees. We are grateful for this community for hosting Global Refuge and for their commitment to the work of welcome!

If you’d like to invite us to join your faith community in the future, please send an email to [email protected].