Durbin Statement On Supreme Court Decision Upholding Birthright Citizenship

June 30, 2026 Durbin Statement On Supreme Court Decision Upholding Birthright Citizenship In a February amicus brief, Durbin led 216 Democratic colleagues in calling on the justices to uphold precedent and guarantee citizenship to children born in America in Trump v. Barbara ROCKFORD – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding the Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. Barbara to uphold automatic citizenship for babies born in the United States. The case reviewed the constitutionality of President Donald Trump’s week-one executive order to strip the guarantee of citizenship provided to children born in America. “President Trump’s illegal birthright citizenship order was not just an attack on our Constitution—it was an attack on millions of Americans who have immigrant heritage. While I am relieved that the Court rightly decided that birthright citizenship is the law of the land, I would be naive to believe that this will stop Trump’s attacks. We are a nation of immigrants, and we must end this anti-immigrant campaign fueled by fear and hatred.” In February, Durbin led a group of 216 House and Senate Democrats in filing a bicameral amicus brief standing up for the essential constitutional principle of birthright citizenship in Trump v. Barbara . The Democratic lawmakers argued that President Donald Trump’s executive order to strip the guarantee of citizenship provided to children born in America violates the Constitution and over a century of Supreme Court rulings, as well as laws enacted by Congress. As the Trump Administration’s cruel and reckless immigration policies continue to inflict chaos on communities across the country, the lawmakers affirmed that the Fourteenth Amendment provides Congress with authority to enforce the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship. Durbin also joined U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) to introduce the Born in the USA Act to effectively block the implementation of President Trump’s unconstitutional executive order attempting to end automatic citizenship for children born in the United States. This bill would prevent any government funds from being used to carry out or enforce this directive. On the Senate floor, Durbin has spoken out against President Trump’s executive orders that crack down on immigrant communities, suspend refugee resettlement, and attempt to deprive U.S.-born children of citizenship. -30- Print Email Share Tweet