US Supreme Court birthright citizenship ruling wins praise from Indian Americans

Washington, July 1 (IANS) Many Indian Americans have welcomed the US Supreme Court’s decision reaffirming birthright citizenship, calling it a victory for the Constitution, immigrant families and the American Dream, as Indian American lawmakers said the ruling protected a fundamental right that cannot be overturned by executive order.

The ruling prompted statements from several Indian American members of Congress and community organisations, which said the decision restored certainty for millions of immigrant families and reinforced the constitutional guarantee that anyone born in the United States is an American citizen.

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said the decision reaffirmed “a fundamental constitutional principle: every child born in the United States is an American citizen.”

“Since its ratification in the wake of the Civil War, the Fourteenth Amendment has enshrined the principles of equal citizenship and equal protection under the law, including its guarantee of birthright citizenship,” he said. “The Supreme Court’s decision makes clear that those constitutional rights cannot be rewritten by executive order because the Constitution, not the President, governs the rights of the American people.”

Virginia Congressman Suhas Subramanyam welcomed what he described as the court’s recognition that President Donald Trump’s executive order was unconstitutional.

“I’m glad the courts recognised that President Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order was a blatant and unconstitutional attempt to strip citizenship from children of immigrants all across the country,” he said.

“These immigrants are folks who have served our country in so many ways and contributed to the success of our economy. And make no mistake: they are American.”

Subramanyam added that lawmakers would “continue to push for long overdue, commonsense immigration reform and fight this administration’s blatant immigration overreach.”

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said the ruling reaffirmed that the Constitution could not be altered through executive action.

“Donald Trump is not a king, and he cannot, with the stroke of a pen, change our Constitution,” she said. “Today’s ruling rightly reaffirms that if you are born in America, you are American, plain and simple.”

She added that she hoped the judgment would “settle this issue once in for all” and urged the administration to stop issuing executive orders that were “clearly illegal, anti-immigrant and traumatising to Americans across the country.”

Michigan Congressman Shri Thanedar called the judgment “a major win for civil rights and the rule of law.”

“The Supreme Court did what the Constitution requires: it affirmed that people born in the United States are American citizens,” Thanedar said, adding that the decision was “a reminder of how fragile our rights can be.”

Among community organisations, the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) said the ruling carried particular significance for Indian Americans.

“Birthright citizenship has been a cornerstone of realizing the American Dream for immigrants,” said FIIDS President Khanderao Kand. He said the decision would allow “millions of families” to look to the future with greater certainty.

Kand said the ruling was especially important for “the nearly 5.2 million Indian Americans—including more than 1.2 million individuals waiting in the employment-based green card backlog and over 400,000 Indian H-1B professionals who contribute to America’s innovation, competitiveness, and economic growth.”

Indian American leader Bhavini Patel also welcomed the decision, calling it “a beautiful celebration and acknowledgement of the power of the US Constitution.”

“It recognises that if you were born in the United States of America, you are an American,” Patel said. She added that the ruling recognised “the beauty of this country” and reaffirmed that “the fabric of this country is built on its diversity.” Patel also said the decision showed “the American Constitution is alive in its Well.”

President Donald Trump reacted on social media by posting: “I would like to congratulate President Xi, and the Great Country of China, on their massive Birthright Citizenship WIN!”

Birthright citizenship has been guaranteed under the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment since 1868, when it was adopted following the Civil War. The constitutional provision has long ensured that nearly all children born on US soil automatically acquire American citizenship regardless of their parents’ immigration status.

The issue has particular resonance for the Indian American community, one of the fastest-growing immigrant groups in the United States. Hundreds of thousands of Indian professionals work in the country on H-1B visas, while more than a million Indians remain in the employment-based green card backlog, making immigration policy and citizenship rights issues of close interest to the community.

–IANS

lkj/rs