U.S. Faith Communities Unite In Support of Birthright Citizenship
Washington, DC – Today [April 1], the Supreme Court is weighing a challenge to the protected principle that virtually every child born in the United States is a U.S. citizen. Birthright citizenship offers individuals the chance to be fully recognized as part of this nation and is central to who we are as a country. Without birthright citizenship, babies born 30 days after the President’s executive order would be denied citizenship, legal identity, and basic protections if their parents are in the U.S. temporarily or are undocumented.
We, as faith-based organizations, affirm support for birthright citizenship and the belonging and security it means–for children, their families, and our country going back more than a century. Leaders across faith traditions shared these responses:
“At the core of birthright citizenship is who we are as a nation. For over 150 years our Constitution has provided full citizenship for anyone born in this nation,” said Rev. Noel Andersen, National Field Director of Church World Service and Co-Chair of the Interfaith Immigration Coalition. “As a Christian, I remember the sacred text of Mark 10:14 in which Jesus says, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’ Our society will be judged on how we treat the children and how we value those placed on the margins. Each child deserves the right of full citizenship and the opportunity to stay united with their parents. Faith communities are united across traditions to ensure these rights continue to be the law of the land.”
“Unitarian Universalists strongly oppose efforts to undermine birthright citizenship in the U.S.,” said Pablo DeJesús, Executive Director of Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice. “Our faith supports human rights for immigrants and also a commitment to a healthy democracy. We cherish the U.S. Constitution as a foundational public agreement. The President’s executive order to deny citizenship to certain U.S.-born children attacks the Constitution and equality under the law. Birthright citizenship, enshrined in the 14th Amendment, has protected against discrimination for over 150 years. Courts recognize that altering this right through executive action is illegal. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to reshape democracy, including measures like the SAVE Act. Undermining birthright citizenship would deny rights and increase inequality. The Supreme Court must uphold constitutional principles and affirm equality for all.”
“Here at the border, we know the value and importance of welcoming the stranger. We also know how critical migration is to our borderland DNA,” saidDylan Corbett, Executive Director of the Hope Border Institute. “For over a century, the 14th Amendment has clearly established citizenship for those born on U.S. soil, regardless of where their family comes from, what language they speak or what they may look like. Pope Francis reminded us that our call is to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate. Not to exclude. Citizenship is not something that can be simply redesigned or retracted. Removing birthright citizenship will have dire impacts not just at the border where so many families live a mixed-status reality, but also across the country where migrant histories are baked into our nation’s identity.”
Fran Eskin-Royer, Executive Director of the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, said: “The spirit of America is rooted in opportunity and work, faith and freedom, hope and immigration. A unifying characteristic for our country is birthright citizenship, where regardless of country of origin, ethnicity or circumstance, a child born in the United States of America is American. Birthright citizenship ensures every baby born in the U.S. has access to essential care. The National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd supports agencies and sisters across the country as they minister to and walk with people on the margins. Removing birthright citizenship will further alienate populations and exacerbate individual hurt.”
Rev. Michael Neuroth, Director of the United Church of Christ Office of Public Policy and Advocacy, stated: “Over the past four decades, the United Church of Christ’s General Synod has passed over a dozen resolutions affirming the basic human rights of immigrants, migrants, and refugees. We stand alongside many other faith groups in our opposition to the Administration’s attempt to erase birthright citizenship, a longstanding, constitutionally protected right guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. Ending birthright citizenship would be an inhumane and immoral change that would leave many children stateless and in limbo. As an Immigrant Welcoming Church, we believe God calls us to tear down barrier walls that divide us (Ephesians 2:14-16) and see the face of Jesus in all those seeking welcome and refuge. We affirm ‘God’s love knows no borders’ and call on SCOTUS to deny any attempt to rewrite the Constitution.”
“As followers of Jesus Christ and adherents to Catholic Social Teaching, we Franciscans believe firmly in the principle of human dignity and rights.” stated Sister Marie Lucey, Associate Director of Franciscan Action Network. “As U.S. Americans we uphold the Constitution. The President’s executive order to impose restrictions on birthright citizenship violates both principles. The 14th Amendment to our Constitution states clearly that all persons born in this country are thereby US citizens regardless of where their parents were born or their legal status. Every court which in the past considered this issue has found the order to be illegal. To overturn or dramatically restrict this bedrock principle would make a mockery of the legitimacy of our Constitution and would make thousands of men, women, and children stateless. Our religious faith and our responsibility as citizens demand that we oppose this executive order.”
Talya Steinberg, Associate Director of Government Relations and Advocacy at National Council of Jewish Women, stated: “At National Council of Jewish Women, we know the danger posed when leaders decree who does and does not belong. Dismantling birthright citizenship and redefining what it means to be an American undermines the very principles and rights our democracy guarantees. If the Executive Order is allowed to stand, tens of thousands of children born in the U.S. each year would lose citizenship and the ability to access critical social safety-net programs. As Jewish advocates dedicated to upholding justice and dignity, we believe that every child, every person, deserves to be safe and have every opportunity to fulfill America’s promise.”
Rev. Amy Reumann, Senior Director, Witness in Society for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, stated: “The right by birth to U.S. citizenship has been the law of the land for over a century. Challenging this constitutionally protected right could leave hundreds of thousands of this nation’s children stateless, harming these children’s access to education and services that are critical for children to thrive. Lutherans believe God’s purpose is the well-being of all, with no division based on race, religion, or nation of origin. We call for renewed protection of the rights of all children born in or brought into the United States.”
Laura Peralta-Schulte, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice Senior Director of Public Policy and Government Relations said: “If you are born in the U.S., you are a U.S. citizen. That’s it. This has been established law for more than 150 years, and no single presidency should get to redefine American citizenship. For people of faith, attempting to deny American citizenship is an aggressive and biased assault on human dignity. At times, our country has attempted to re-examine who is American and who is not based on the color of their skin or national origin. But as has been established by the 14th amendment of our U.S. Constitution, birthright citizenship is a foundational pillar of who we are as Americans.”
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is made up of over 56 national, faith-based organizations brought together across many theological traditions with a common call to seek just policies that lift up the God-given dignity of every individual. In partnership, we work to protect the rights, dignity, and safety of all refugees and migrants. Follow us on Twitter @interfaithimm