A divided Supreme Court on Friday that individual judges lack the authority to grant nationwide injunctions, but the decision left unclear the fate of President Donald Trump鈥檚 restrictions on birthright citizenship.
The outcome was a victory for the Republican president, who has complained about individual judges throwing up obstacles to his agenda.
But a conservative majority left open the possibility that the birthright citizenship changes could remain blocked nationwide. Trump's order would deny citizenship to U.S.-born children of people who are in the country illegally.
Immigrant communities in 海角换妻 say they are feeling the administration鈥檚 grip getting tighter. Though the Supreme Court鈥檚 ruling didn鈥檛 touch birthright citizenship, immigrant advocates said it did underscore the Trump Administration鈥檚 attempts to target their community. Carolina Bortolleto, an advocate with Danbury Unites For Immigrants, said the ruling is part of a battle over who gets to be an American.
鈥淭he administration is really trying to attack who belongs here in this country, and we've seen that with the increased ICE presence in our country, right? We've seen abductions here in 海角换妻 and around the country," Bortolleto said. "The fact is, immigrants power this country. We power the state鈥� Immigrants like myself and my family are part of the fabric, and we need people to speak out in support of immigrants.鈥�
Right now, Bortolleto said she and her fellow advocates are focused on preventing the spread of misinformation, to make sure the immigrant community is aware that birthright citizenship is still intact for another month and that they still have constitutional rights.
What happens now?
The cases now return to lower courts, where judges will have to decide how to tailor their orders to comply with the high court ruling, Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote in the majority opinion. Enforcement of the policy can't take place for another 30 days, Barrett wrote.
海角换妻 Attorney General William Tong, who sued the Trump administration over birthright citizenship, said the 14th Amendment is still 鈥渁live and well鈥� following Friday鈥檚 ruling.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e born on American soil, you鈥檙e an American, period,鈥� Tong said. 鈥淭he Supreme Court confirmed, affirmed, that principle more than 100 years ago.鈥�
The ruling doesn't mean Trump can "amend the Constitution with a stroke of a pen and abolish birthright citizenship," Tong said. "It doesn't mean that at all."
But he said the Supreme Court's decision does create confusion about what will happen with Trump's order following the 30-day pause, he said.
鈥淭he question now is what happens after these 30 days, and to the babies of families who have not sued, or do not live in states like 海角换妻 who are fighting back,鈥� Tong said in a statement.
鈥淲hat we have is an unworkable mess that will leave thousands of babies in an untenable legal limbo,鈥� Tong said. 鈥淲ill babies born in 海角换妻 have different citizenship rights than those born in Texas or Florida? What of babies born in 海角换妻 who travel outside our state?鈥�
What is birthright citizenship?
Birthright citizenship automatically makes anyone born in the United States an American citizen, including children born to mothers in the country illegally. The right was enshrined soon after the Civil War in the Constitution鈥檚 14th Amendment.
In a notable Supreme Court decision from 1898, United States v. Wong Kim Ark, the court held that the only children who did not automatically receive U.S. citizenship upon being born on U.S. soil were the children of diplomats, who have allegiance to another government; enemies present in the U.S. during hostile occupation; those born on foreign ships; and those born to members of sovereign Native American tribes.
鈥淚 too am Wong Kim Ark,鈥� Tong said. 鈥淲hen I was born in Hartford, 海角换妻, I became the first American citizen in my immediate family by right of my birth in Hartford Hospital on American soil.鈥�
The U.S. is among about 30 countries where birthright citizenship 鈥� the principle of jus soli or 鈥渞ight of the soil鈥� 鈥� is applied. Most are in the Americas, and Canada and Mexico are among them.
Trump and his supporters have argued that there should be tougher standards for becoming an American citizen, which he called 鈥渁 priceless and profound gift鈥� in the he signed on his first day in office.
The Trump administration has asserted that children of noncitizens are not 鈥渟ubject to the jurisdiction鈥� of the United States, a phrase used in the amendment, and therefore are not entitled to citizenship.
But states, immigrants and rights groups that have sued to block the executive order have accused the administration of trying to unsettle the broader understanding of birthright citizenship that has been accepted since the amendment鈥檚 adoption.
Lawmakers weigh in
Members of 海角换妻's all-Democratic congressional delegation denounced the ruling on Friday.
"Donald Trump has already made clear that he intends to use today's Supreme Court ruling to support his xenophobic regime, throwing the lives of thousands of Americans into chaos and uncertainty," said Congressman Jim Himes. "What's more, I fear that this decision will open the door for a White House bent on consolidating power to behave with increasing lawlessness at the expense of our democracy."
Congresswoman Rosa Delauro said the Supreme Court would have to rule on the fate of birthright citizenship at another time.
"Americans鈥� rights now depend on the decisions of the lower court districts they live in. This will create chaos and confusion across the country," Delauro said.
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal echoed the sentiment, saying in a statement that the Court left millions of Americans vulnerable to government overreach.
"This decision leaves families across the country in a state of fear and uncertainty about the future of their children. The Supreme Court has chipped away at two bedrock constitutional principles: the guarantee of birthright citizenship and an American justice system that can serve as an effective check and balance to prevent illegal and unconstitutional actions by the government," Blumenthal said.
海角换妻 Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff also criticized the court.
"It is profoundly troubling to see the United States Supreme Court shrink from the responsibility of upholding the clear constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship, while also restricting the authority of federal judges to issue national injunctions," Looney said. "In a single decision, the Court turned a blind eye to the Trump administration's efforts to undermine a right explicitly stated in the 14th Amendment and dismantled an important mechanism for challenging unconstitutional government actions in federal court."
Duff highlighted the consequences of the ruling.
"Its implications could extend far beyond, putting at risk rights Americans have long considered settled," He said. "When the Court turns its back on such foundational principles, it raises serious questions about its commitment to the rights and values it exists to protect."
This is a developing story and will be updated. 海角换妻鈥檚 Daniela Doncel, Chris Polansky, Patrick Skahill and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
