FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 30, 2026
Media contact: rachel@nakasec.org, 213-703-0992
Korean and Asian American Advocates Respond to Supreme Court Decision on Birthright Citizenship
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Supreme Court voted 6-3 to uphold birthright citizenship, the 14th Amendment, and the centuries-old promise that if you’re born on U.S. soil, you are a U.S. citizen.
The National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC) issued the following statement in response:
The Supreme Court issued the right decision and judgment for our country, and we will continue to fight to protect the rights of all communities – immigrants, citizens, and non citizens alike. The people pushing this Executive Order know that the face of America is changing – and they are trying every avenue to strip away the rights of Black, brown, and Asian communities, now and for generations to come.
We must underscore the dangerous context behind this fight and be clear about what is at stake. This Executive Order is part of a larger attempt to move the United States under authoritarian control. Last week, the Court ruled to end Temporary Protected Status and asylum, ending two critical programs and facilitating the separation of U.S. citizen children from their parents – the same children protected by today’s birthright ruling. Today, the Court voted to uphold a ban on transgender athletes. These attacks are part of a coordinated effort to redefine who belongs in America, who has basic rights and dignity, and who gets to have a voice in their government. One way this is being attempted is through reducing the voting and political power of entire communities – particularly those who are Black, brown, Asian, and transgender. Asian Americans are currently the fastest growing racial group and electorate in the United States and would have been among the most severely harmed if this Order was upheld. Had this Order been upheld, we know the fallout would have been catastrophic and generational: from families torn apart, to pregnant parents avoiding critical medical care out of fear, to the formation of a second underclass of vulnerable people who cannot have a voice in shaping this country.
While the Court made the right decision, we must remain vigilant. We have seen before, as with Roe v. Wade and reproductive rights and the Voting Rights Act, that continued attacks, political strong-arming, and a gradual weakening of our Constitution leave our rights too vulnerable to being dismantled. We uplift and celebrate the hard work and advocacy by Black, brown, and Asian immigrant community members. Once again, amidst being targeted and maligned, it was marginalized and vulnerable community members who led the way and fought to protect the rights and well-being for everyone.
We cannot leave our lives or the lives of our loved ones up to the next court case, temporary measure, or political whim. We call on Congress to act immediately by creating a permanent pathway to citizenship for all undocumented community members. We call on the American people to stand in solidarity. We all – Black, brown, white, Asian, immigrant, and transgender alike deserve to live with dignity and rights – and to thrive.
Hamkae Center’s Executive Director, Mitchell Yangson said: “This Supreme Court has ruled on what constitutional scholars, lawyers and our organizations knew all along, that all persons born in the U.S. are citizens. However, the fact that the ruling was not unanimous and that this case got as far as it did, shows that our communities must continue to organize. These high-profile cases illustrate that we cannot take our constitutional rights for granted anymore.”
HANA Center’s Executive Director, Danae Kovac said: “Today’s decision affirms what immigrant families across Chicago and the northwest suburbs have always known to be true: that birthright citizenship is a constitutional promise, not a privilege to be revoked at the whim of any administration. We’re relieved the Court rejected this attempt to further harm immigrant families and create millions of stateless children, and we’ll keep standing with our community to defend that promise.”
MinKwon Center for Community Action’s Executive Director, Yoon Ji Kim said: “Today the Supreme Court upheld what the Fourteenth Amendment says clearly: that every child born in America is an American citizen without exception. Asian American history is etched into this ruling as Wong Kim Ark has stood as the bedrock of American citizenship law for more than 100 years. But although we celebrate today, the closeness of this decision is a warning. It tells us that the citizenship of immigrant children remains contested in ways it never should be. We will remain vigilant and will continue to organize and fight to uphold the rights of immigrant communities.”
