FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 30, 2026

Washington, DC – The South Asian American Justice Collaborative (SAAJCO) welcomes the Supreme Court’s rejection of the Trump Administration’s attack on birthright citizenship.

In a 6–3 decision, the Court rejected the Administration’s attempt to deny citizenship to U.S.-born children based on their parents’ immigration status. For generations, South Asian Americans have confronted efforts to cast our communities as perpetual outsiders, regardless of how long we have lived, worked, organized, and raised families here. Today’s decision rejects that harmful vision and upholds a constitutional promise that has protected generations of Americans.

“Birthright citizenship reflects one of our nation’s most enduring commitments: that citizenship cannot be denied based on a parent’s immigration status,” said Kalpana V. Peddibhotla, Executive Director at the South Asian American Justice Collaborative (SAAJCO). “Attempts to undermine that guarantee are rooted in the same exclusionary ideas that have long targeted immigrant communities and communities of color. For South Asian communities, this ruling is a reminder that our rights are not conditional and our children’s citizenship is not up for debate.”

SAAJCO congratulates the merits team, including the ACLU, Asian Law Caucus, Legal Defense Fund, and Democracy Defenders Fund, whose work secured this critical victory. SAAJCO was proud to support these efforts through an amicus brief lifting up South Asian American history and the harms the Executive Order would have imposed on immigrant families and U.S.-born children. 

While this victory is significant, the attack on birthright citizenship is part of a broader effort to exclude and destabilize immigrant communities. SAAJCO and our partners remain vigilant and committed to defending the rights, dignity, and belonging of our communities. 

The Fourteenth Amendment stands strong. So does our commitment to a country where citizenship is not denied because of who a child’s parents are or where they come from.

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About SAAJCO:  South Asian American Justice Collaborative (SAAJCO) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting for the civil and human rights of the South Asian diaspora in the United States through impact litigation and community engagement. www.saajco.org

Press and media inquiries: press@saajco.org.