Birthright citizenship — the right to be born a U.S. citizen, either by being born on U.S. soil or to U.S. citizen parents — is guaranteed under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. Trump’s executive order attempting to undo birthright citizenship was heavily criticized by legal experts as an overreach of his power.

In response, Nedia Morsy, Director of Make the Road New Jersey, issued the following statement:

“While immigrant families across the country can breathe a small sigh of relief with this decision, birthright citizenship was never up for question before Trump’s far-right MAGA movement captured our government. Birthright citizenship is an explicit right named in our Constitution, and we should all be alarmed that the Supreme Court was this close to taking it away.

“This court case did not happen in a vacuum. The attempt to end birthright citizenship is part of a broader de-documentation campaign by the Trump administration to strip racial minorities of their rights and citizenship. While Trump’s lawyers were in court trying to re-write the 14th Amendment, masked ICE agents are indiscriminately terrorizing neighborhoods of color and disappearing our neighbors in private prisons like Delaney Hall and the Elizabeth Detention Center. Look no further than how refugee status is protected for white South Africans while families from Haiti and Syria are sent back to their countries to die. It’s ethnic cleansing by the Trump administration, aided and abetted by an illegitimate Supreme Court.

“We cannot rely on today’s Court to protect tomorrow’s rights. It’s on all of us to fight for our rights and stand up to Trump’s war on immigrants.”