Immigrants Scramble For Clarity After SC’s Birthright Citizenship Ruling

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling related to birthright citizenship has sparked widespread confusion among immigrants and legal advocates, Reuters reporters Ted Hesson and Kristina Cooke wrote.

The ambiguity of the decision has left immigrants uncertain.

Last month, the Court’s conservative majority granted President Trump’s request to limit federal judges’ authority but stopped short of ruling on the constitutionality of his attempt to restrict birthright citizenship.

That right—widely understood to be guaranteed under the 14th Amendment—holds that anyone born in the U.S. is automatically a citizen, regardless of their parents' immigration status.

The ambiguity of the decision has left immigrants uncertain. Lorena, a 24-year-old Colombian asylum seeker in Houston who is due to give birth in September, told Reuters she was left “confused and worried” after reading media reports.

Trump’s January executive order directed federal agencies not to recognize the citizenship of U.S.-born children unless at least one parent is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.

The order was blocked by three district court judges, leading to a Supreme Court case that concluded Trump’s policy could take effect in 30 days—pending further lower court proceedings.

On Friday afternoon, plaintiffs filed an amended lawsuit in federal court in Maryland, seeking to establish a nationwide class of potentially affected individuals.

Without a nationwide block, the policy could be enforced in the 28 states that did not join the original lawsuit, creating what the Migration Policy Institute’s Kathleen Bush-Joseph called “an extremely confusing patchwork” of legal standards across the country.