Haitian immigrants celebrate SCOTUS ruling on birthright citizenship

Haitian legislators and immigration advocates in the United States on June 30 celebrated the Supreme Court of the United States’ (SCOTUS) ruling rejecting President Donald J. Trump’s attempt to restrict birthright citizenship for Caribbean and other immigrants.

Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, the daughter of Haitian immigrants, said that “children born in America should not have to prove they belong here because of where their parents came from, what language their family speaks, or the color of their skin.

“Birthright citizenship is a constitutional right and a fundamental human right,” Bichotte Hermelyn, who represents the 42nd Assembly District in Brooklyn, told Caribbean Life. “No president can erase it by executive order.

“As the largest Democratic county party in the nation, Brooklyn Democrats have a responsibility to lead when our Constitutional rights are under attack,” she said. “This fight is deeply personal: Immigrants are the backbone of Brooklyn, and their children continue to help build the most diverse city in America.

She added: “While the Supreme Court was wrong in this week’s TPS ruling, today’s decision is a resounding rebuke,” she continued. “Brooklyn Democrats will keep fighting to ensure immigrant families remain safe, protected, and welcome. The president does not get to decide which children born in America count as citizens; the Constitution does.”

The San Diego, CA-based Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) described the US Supreme Court’s decision as “a victory for Haitian families and all immigrant communities.

“The decision reaffirms the enduring promise of the 14th Amendment, which provides that ‘All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside,’” HBA executive director Guerline Jozef told Caribbean Life. “Today’s decision is a victory for the Constitution, the rule of law, and the millions of immigrant families who have long relied on the protections of the 14th Amendment. It is also a victory for TPS recipients and other immigrant parents raising US-born children.”

During a press conference on June 30, led by New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), Make the Road New York (MRNY) and Hands off NYC, dozens of community leaders, immigration advocates and allies also celebrated the SCOTUS decision to preserve birthright citizenship for all people born in the US.

Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of NYIC, an umbrella advocacy organization of over 200 immigrant and refugee groups in the US, said that the court’s ruling comes as “a relief for the immigrant community, who have been waiting anxiously over the past year.

“This is a monumental victory for immigrant families and upholds a constitutional principle that has defined the country for more than a century,” he said. “Today’s Supreme Court decision is a victory for the Constitution, the rule of law, and the generations of families who have built their lives in this country.

He added: “As our nation marks its 250th birthday, the Supreme Court reaffirmed what has been clear for more than 150 years: the 14th Amendment guarantees birthright citizenship, and no president can rewrite the Constitution with the stroke of a pen. Donald Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship was both an unprecedented attempt to advance his anti-immigrant agenda and part of a broader effort to dismantle legal pathways to safety, stability, and belonging.”

“Even as we breathe a sigh of relief, Congress must act to create a pathway to citizenship for all immigrants and strengthen the humanitarian protections that reflect our values,” he continued.

During the press conference, attorneys provided an overview of the SCOTUS decision, and community leaders spoke about the importance of protecting birthright citizenship for every child born in the United States, regardless of where their parents were born.

In 2025, the Trump administration issued an executive order attempting to strip children of Caribbean and other countries born in the United States of birthright citizenship.

Following this, advocates filed a legal challenge against the executive order. In April 2026, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for the case.

“Last year, I was pregnant when President Trump signed an executive order attempting to take away birthright citizenship. Birthright citizenship is a fundamental right of every child born in this country,” said Aby, a Deferred Action for Early Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, recipient and MRNY member, who prefers that her last name not be used.

“Every day since that executive order was signed until the day I gave birth, I wondered if my newborn would be considered a US citizen or what would happen to him. What would his birth certificate say? What country would he belong to?” she asked. “My three children, from my oldest to my youngest, are US-born and US citizens. This country is my home and the home of my children.”

New York State Assemblymember Catalina Cruz said that SCOTUS “ruled on something that should have never been in question, rightly upholding the 14th Amendment and confirming that birthright citizenship is, and remains, the law of this land.

“For over 150 years, this country has recognized a simple truth: if you are born in America, you are an American citizen,” she said. “Today’s ruling reflects and protects that truth for the hundreds of thousands of children born every year in our country, regardless of where their parents come from,” she said.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, who has strongly defended birthright citizenship, said it is “a constitutional guarantee that has defined this nation for generations.

“Our country was built by immigrants, and we draw our strength from those who come here seeking a better life,” she said. “Today’s ruling preserves that promise for generations to come.

“I am relieved for the children who will never know how close the American dream came to being taken from them, and for the families who will never have to explain to a child why the country they were born in refuses to accept them,” Jame added. “Every person born in the United States is an American. That was true yesterday, it is true today, and we will never stop fighting to make sure it remains true tomorrow.”

US Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said: “Despite Trump’s best efforts to bully them, the Supreme Court just reaffirmed that if you are born in America, you belong in America.

“For 250 years, America has been a nation made stronger by immigrants,” he said. “The framers of the 14th Amendment wove that value into our Constitution, affirming that those born on American soil are citizens.

“No matter how much President Trump tries to steal citizenship from people that the Constitution has said have earned it and reverse the grand American tradition of welcoming newcomers to our nation, the Supreme Court confirmed today that those born in America are American,” Schumer added.

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said that the court’s ruling is “not only a monumental victory for immigrant families and communities, but is an affirmation of the very constitutional principle that upholds our country.

“Let us be clear: the fight does not end here,” she warned. “This will not be the last attempt to strip Americans of their constitutional protections. The attacks against Americans and immigrants alike know no bounds.

“We must remain vigilant and be prepared to fight this administration’s incessant attacks head-on,” Ocasio-Cortez urged.