FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
June 30, 2026

CONTACT: 
Graciela González
Director of Communications
[email protected]
312-728-4291

CHICAGO — This morning, the Supreme Court issued a 6-3 decision in Trump v. Barbara upholding the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of birthright citizenship to all children born in the United States. Today’s decision comes from a challenge to an executive order signed on President Trump’s first day of his second term, which attempted to deny birthright citizenship to babies born in the United States if neither parent was a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, contrary to more than 125 years of settled law that automatically grants U.S. citizenship to all babies born on U.S. soil, regardless of their parents’ immigration status.

In response to this decision, Latino Policy Forum president and CEO, Linda Xochitl Tortolero, issued the following statement:

“If you were born in the United States, you are a U.S. citizen by right. The Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution is unequivocal about this, and no president or executive order can take this away. If the Supreme Court had arrived at any other conclusion, it would have undermined the plain language of the Constitution, more than a century of established law, and the very ideals of equality and fairness that this country was built on.

“Today’s decision is a relief for immigrant families, especially expectant parents who were navigating the uncertainty and fear that their child would be stateless, without protection or access to critical services and programs. Birthright citizenship gives these children, many of them Latino, the full protection of citizenship and opens a door to economic mobility and access and participation in our democracy.

“However, we cannot fool ourselves into being complacent; our civil rights and our democracy are at stake. Days ago, this Court ruled that the federal administration can turn away asylum seekers at ports of entry, and end legal protections for hundreds of thousands of TPS holders, which is an affront to our laws and our commitment to human rights. This administration has shown us that they are willing to test the clear protections of the U.S. Constitution.  And perhaps more alarming, some members of the Supreme Court have shown us that they are willing to support this reversal of longstanding policy.”

###

About the Latino Policy Forum
The Latino Policy Forum is the only organization in the Chicago area that facilitates the involvement of Latinos at all levels of public decision-making. The Forum conducts analysis to inform, influence and lead. Its goals are to improve education outcomes, advocate for affordable housing, promote just immigration policies and engage diverse sectors of the community, with an understanding that advancing Latinos advances a shared future. For more information, visit latinopolicyforum.org.