The 14th Amendment Stands: All Is Safe for Now, But for How Long?

Candidate for California Senate District 4

“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.”

If you are born in the US, you are an American citizen according to our Constitution. The language is clear as day, and the Trump administration idea that a baby born here, raised here, would be denied that is crazy to me.

Immigrants and their children have made America what it is for hundreds of years. Most of us are descended from those immigrants.

[The] Supreme Court ruling didn’t change that 150-year-old precedent . . .but it nearly did throw it out the window.

It was one vote away from jeopardizing the citizenship of any child of immigrants. It was a 6-3 decision, but only five signed the required majority opinion.

It’s worth considering how this could have been applied. For what goal? How far would it have gone back? Would it apply to all nationalities equally? Is it retroactive or only moving forward? Would they still be legal residents? Would we deport a newborn? Could it be abused for political purposes?

All valid questions that, for now, we do not need to know. If you are an immigrant or the child of one, this could have turned your life upside down. Rather than this crazy push to invalidate actual legal citizenship, why not get our leaders together to address the actual issues in the immigration system? Instead, the closest bipartisan legislation to doing that was the Border Bill stopped in 2024 under pressure by President Trump. Just like his recent veto of the nearly 90% supported Congressional housing bill, he seems to be completely opposed to bipartisanship if it means anyone else considering it a win. Common sense is being able to have different opinions but work together because we are all on the same American team. Yes, immigrants and their families too.

Mathew the Apostle spoke of welcoming the stranger. The Statue of Liberty beckons “give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” E pluribus unum on our bank bills — out of many, one. Fixing immigration is a real policy issue, and immigration is also baked into the core of America.

Stand up for people and our country. Stand up for families even if they are different than yours. There is far more at stake than party.