FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 27, 2026

WASHINGTON, DC — A coalition of South Asian civil rights and community organizations signed onto an amicus brief Thursday, February 26, 2026, in the United States Supreme Court, arguing that the Executive Order targeting birthright citizenship would reintroduce a regime in which citizenship depends on administrative interpretation rather than constitutional command.

The brief was filed by the South Asian American Justice Collaborative (SAAJCO) and Davis Wright Tremaine LLP and is joined by more than 35 organizations serving South Asian communities and allied organizations nationwide.

SEE: Birthright Citizenship Amicus Brief

“South Asians have lived with the consequences of citizenship being treated as conditional,” said Kalpana Peddibhotla, Executive Director of SAAJCO. “Many of our families remain in decades-long green card backlogs created by federal law. They build their lives here while waiting in a temporary status. To now cast doubt on the status of their United States-born children would destabilize families and undermine the Constitution’s promise.”

Drawing on the long and often overlooked history of South Asian migration to the United States, the brief explains that for centuries, they have sought to assert their rights of citizenship and belonging, petitioned for redress, pursued naturalization, and worked to secure recognition as full members of the national community, even as those claims were repeatedly resisted or denied.

 “The Fourteenth Amendment does not permit citizenship to fluctuate with executive policy,” said Thaila Sundaresan, counsel of record and partner at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP. “Executive Order 14,160 seeks to resurrect a dangerous system of contingent citizenship that the Constitution was designed to abolish.”

“For thousands of South Asian families across Florida and the nation, the threat to birthright citizenship is a direct attack on their family stability and the communities they have spent decades helping build. We cannot allow the United States-born children of our diaspora to be cast into an unending legal limbo. SABA Florida proudly stands with SAAJCO, SABA 

National/North America, and our fellow amici curiae to ensure the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of belonging remains unequivocal,” said Krishan Thakker, President, South Asian Bar Association of Florida.

“The path to service is already riddled with obstacles for many South Asians, and injecting uncertainty about nationality, statehood, and citizenship risks shutting the door on generations ready to contribute to this great country,” said Rohan Soni, Executive Director of SAATH. 

“Birthright citizenship affirms a simple, powerful truth: if you are born here, you belong here — fully, equally, and without conditions,” said Rittu Kumar, President of South Asian Bar Association of North America Foundation

“Since 2021, over 200,000 Afghans have found a new home in the United States in the wake of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Fleeing gender persecution, conflict, and a worsening humanitarian crisis, these newly arrived Afghans have found themselves under attack. Attempting to find permanent legal protections in this country, many of them are wondering whether their mixed legal status families will be separated or denied safety. Afghans fleeing conditions created by the United States deserve better; they deserve safety, stability and a right to build a new life in the U.S. without fear of deportation or separation,” said Arash Azizzada, Co-Director for Afghans For A Better Tomorrow

Peddibhotla concluded, “We are not forever foreign. South Asian children born here are Americans. That is what the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees.”

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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.

Learn more at www.saajco.org and follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Press and media inquiries: press@saajco.org 

About Davis, Wright & Tremaine, LLP

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is a full-service AmLaw 100 firm, providing clients with sophisticated, cross-disciplinary legal counsel that simplifies their toughest challenges and enhances their success. The firm has been widely recognized as a pro bono leader and was most recently named one of Bloomberg Law’s 2025 Pro Bono Innovators. With areas of pro bono focus that include speech rights, voting rights, domestic violence protection, and immigrant rights, DWT is committed to breaking barriers, amplifying impact, and transforming access to justice. Learn more at www.dwt.com.

Press and media inquiries: Mark Fefer, P: 206.757.8583 | E: markfefer@dwt.com