Congresista Ramirez Leads 109 Members to Protect the Constitutional Right to Birthright Citizenship

Washington, DC —  Today, Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), proud daughter of immigrants and citizen by birthright, introduced legislation to block the implementation of President Trump’s unconstitutional Executive Order that illegally and unconstitutionally seeks to end citizenship for children born in the United States. The Born in the USA Act is co-led by a coalition of Members of Congress that includes the Hispanic Caucus Chair Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair Grace Meng (NY-06), Black Caucus Chair Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (MD-08), and Derek Tran (CA-45)

The legislation prohibits any government funds from being appropriated or used to carry out President Donald Trump’s unconstitutional and illegal Executive Order 14160, “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship.”

“Trump has posed the question of who gets to be an American. The fact is that every citizen not naturalized in this country is a citizen by birthright. And it is important to remember that our nation's history would not be complete without the children of immigrants who, like me, are citizens by birthright and pride themselves on being AMERICANS, said Congresswoman Ramirez.” I am both a daughter of immigrants and the daughter of America;  a proud Chapina and an American by birthright. It is my honor to lead 109 members of Congress to ensure not a single dollar goes to Trump’s illegal, unconstitutional attempt to undermine our Constitution, our rights, our liberties, and the soul of our nation.” 

“Protecting birthright citizenship from Donald Trump’s reckless executive order is our duty, not only as Democrats, but as Americans,” said CHC Chair Adriano Espaillat. “The Fourteenth Amendment was forged in the ashes of the Civil War and refined through 150 years of jurisprudence. No president can change it by executive order, and Trump’s shameless attempt to do so is a grave threat to the very ideals of our nation and of a binding Constitution. Unilaterally modifying the highest law in the land is antithetical to our American values, and we will continue to fight these heinous actions by an administration that seeks to redefine what we, as a nation, stand for.”

"Birthright citizenship is enshrined in the Constitution and has been affirmed by the Supreme Court numerous times — including in the landmark United States v. Wong Kim Ark decision — yet President Trump is determined to overrule this century-old precedent and eliminate one of the most common pathways for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to become U.S. citizens," said Rep. Grace Meng, Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. "Not on our watch. I am proud to introduce the Born in the USA Act with my colleagues to stand up for American values and stand against this unconstitutional executive overreach."

“Birthright citizenship has been the law of the land since 1868, when the 14th Amendment overturned Dred Scott and established equal citizenship by birth,” said Ranking Member Jamie Raskin. “Donald Trump cannot erase the parts of the Constitution he doesn’t like or decide who counts as an American by executive order. The Born in the USA Act will ensure that no taxpayer dollars are used to enforce this unlawful order, which would compel federal agencies, from the State Department to the Social Security Administration, to deny or question U.S. citizenship for children born on American soil, thereby undermining a fundamental constitutional right that has defined our nation since the Civil War.”

“For over 140 years, birthright citizenship has been a cornerstone of American law and culture,” said Rep. Derek Tran. “We have always been a nation of immigrants–my own parents came to this country as refugees, and I gained citizenship through the birthright principle. So many people across the country share my story and have enriched our nation in countless ways as productive members of American society. I’m proud to stand with my colleagues in introducing the Born in the USA Act to protect birthright citizenship and ensure that all those born on U.S. soil are awarded the Constitutional protections they deserve.”

The bill is cosponsored by Congressmembers Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Juan Vargas (CA-52), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Henry Johnson (GA-04), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Linda T. Sánchez (CA-38), Becca Balint (VT-AL), Jesús G. "Chuy" García (IL-04), Madeleine Dean (GA-05), Nikema Williams (GA-05), André Carson (IN-07), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Sylvia R. Garcia (TX-29), Ritchie Torres (NY-15), Jonathan L. Jackson (IL-01), Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), Paul D. Tonko (NY-20), Darren Soto (FL-09), Dave Min (CA-47), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Bennie G. Thompson (MS-2), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Dina Titus (NV-01), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Gabe Amo (RI-01), John Garamendi (CA-08), Sarah McBride (DE-00), Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Stephen Lynch (MA-08), Angie Craig (MN-02), Summer L. Lee (PA-12), Greg Casar (TX-35), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Gilbert R. Cisneros (CA-31), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Gregory W. Meeks (NY-05), Luz Rivas (CA-29), Brad Sherman (CA-32), Wesley Bell (MO-01), Brendan Boyle (PA-02), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Robin L. Kelly (IL-02), Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Timothy M. Kennedy (NY-26), Troy Carter (LA-02), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Gabe Vasquez (NM-02), Ted W. Lieu (CA-36), Robert J. Menendez (NJ-08), Shontel M. Brown (OH-11), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Jennifer L. McClellan (VA-04), Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Greg Stanton (AZ-04), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Julie Johnson (TX-32), Brittany Pettersen (CO-07), Janelle S. Bynum (OR-05), Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM-03), Mark Takano(CA 39), Glenn Ivey (MD-04), Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Pablo José Hernández (PR-00), Sam Liccardo (CA-16), Eric Swalwell (CA-14), Al Green (TX-09), Raul Ruiz (CA-25), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Emily Randall (WA-06), Judy Chu (CA-28), Danny Davis (IL-07), Lauren Underwood (IL-14), Valerie Foushee (NC-04), Debbie Dingell (MI-06), Terri A. Sewell (AL-07), Laura Friedman (CA-30), Betty McCollum (MN-04), Morgan McGarvey (KY-03), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Marc Veasey (TX-33), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01).

The legislation also counts with the support of local and national organizations, including American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), National Immigration Law Center (NILC), Stop AAPI Hate, FWD.us, Center for American Progress (CAP), OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates, National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC), Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), African Communities Together, Haitian Bridge Alliance, Immigration Hub, and UndocuBlack. 

The Born in the USA Act is a companion to S.646, introduced in the Senate by Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV). 

Text of the bill, CLICK HERE. 

BACKGROUND:

On January 29, 2025, Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14160, Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship. The executive order illegally and unconstitutionally seeks to undermine the constitutional right to birthright citizenship. 

The 14th Amendment guarantees that all people born in the U.S. are U.S. citizens. In the 1898 United States v. Wong Kim Ark case, the Supreme Court affirmed that the 14th Amendment protects the birthright citizenship of all children born in the country, including those from undocumented parents.