PRESS STATEMENT: Wednesday, January 22nd, 2025
PRESS CONTACT: Arjumand Khan-Akhan@advancingjustice-chicago.org
Illinois Fights Back on Pres. Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Executive Order
{Wednesday, January 22nd, 2025}-In response to breaking news, Illinois has joined 21 other states in challenging President Trump’s newly signed executive order that seeks to block birthright citizenship. This executive order is being criticized as unconstitutional, as it contradicts the 14th Amendment, which guarantees that anyone born in the U.S. is an American citizen.
The 14th Amendment holds particular significance in Asian American history because of United States v. Wong Kim Ark, a landmark Supreme Court case that upheld birthright citizenship for the children of noncitizen immigrants.
Wong’s story mirrors that of many Asian Americans today. He was born in San Francisco in 1873 to Chinese immigrant parents. After traveling to China, he was denied re-entry into the United States based on his citizenship status. The U.S. government argued that he was not a citizen because his parents were not U.S. citizens.
Citing the 14th Amendment, Wong Kim Ark fought the case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and won in 1898. The decision was a landmark victory that protected the constitutional right to citizenship for all children of immigrants. The legacy of this decision continues to impact Asian American communities today, as more than half of Asian Americans are immigrants (according to Pew).
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago applauds Governor Pritzker and Attorney General Raoul for defending birthright citizenship and the rights of immigrant communities in the face of racist and xenophobic attacks.
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Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago builds power through collective advocacy and organizing to achieve racial equity. Learn more at www.advancingjustice-chicago.org.