T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights welcomes the Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. Barbara, which blocked President Trump’s executive order and reaffirmed the right to birthright citizenship guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment. This decision is about more than immigration policy. It is about who gets to belong in our society, who deserves protection, and whether politicians should decide which children deserve equal treatment under the law. Today, the court affirmed our democratic values.
Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T’ruah, said:
“Today the Supreme Court upheld more than 150 years of settled law and the plain text of the Fourteenth Amendment, ruling that no president can strip citizenship from children born on American soil. This is a profound relief for the more than 255,000 children born here each year whose citizenship President Trump sought to deny — and a victory for the rule of law itself.
“The American Jewish community understands that immigration policy can save and destroy lives. Many of our own family members arrived in this country seeking refuge from violence and discrimination. We know that the accusations lobbed against immigrants in this case echo those once used to close the gates of the United States to Jewish and other unwanted immigrants in 1924 — a policy that led to an untold number of deaths of potential refugees from Nazi Germany. Today’s decision rejects that ugly logic.
“This decision does not end the assault on immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. The same administration that tried to rewrite the Constitution continues to target our immigrant neighbors through cruel and violent raids, detentions, and deportations. The Jewish community has a long history of standing up for immigrants, and we will not waver. American rabbis and cantors will remain in solidarity with immigrants and will demand policies that reflect the dignity and rights of all individuals.”
###
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights brings the Torah’s ideals of human dignity, equality, and justice to life by empowering our network of over 2,300 rabbis and cantors to be moral voices and to lead Jewish communities in advancing democracy and human rights for all people in the United States, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories.