The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has taken a bold legal stance against President Donald J. Trump’s executive order aiming to terminate birthright citizenship, calling the move “immoral” and a direct attack on “God-given human dignity.”
In a brief submitted to the Supreme Court of the United States on Thursday, the bishops, joined by the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), urged justices to strike down the president’s mandate as unconstitutional.
“Children do nothing wrong by being born in the United States,” the brief states. “Yet this executive order would render them stateless. Punishing an innocent child for their parents’ immigration status is especially outrageous – a measure even the court has refused for proven offenders.”
The bishops highlighted the growing political tensions surrounding immigration, lamenting what they described as a “climate of fear and anxiety” and the rising “vilification of immigrants” in American discourse. They grounded their opposition in their November 2025 Plenary Assembly’s “Special Message” on immigration, emphasizing the moral imperative to “love others” and safeguard the dignity of all individuals, regardless of citizenship.
Filed in the case of Donald J. Trump v. Barbara et al. (No. 25-365), the brief stresses that birthright citizenship is a cornerstone of both U.S. law and Western tradition. Key arguments presented include:
- Constitutional Mandate: Citing the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States.”
- Assault on Human Dignity: Ending birthright citizenship, the brief argues, denies children their inherent dignity and freedom.
- Violation of Federal Law: The order conflicts with 8 U.S.C. §1401(a), which codifies citizenship rights.
“To dismantle the principle of birthright citizenship would erode the legal and moral foundations of American society,” the bishops wrote.
Drawing on the teachings of Pope Francis and Pope John Paul II, the USCCB warned that barring individuals from their legal and civic rights stifles their ability to participate in society, harming both the individual and the nation. The bishops emphasized that the judiciary has a duty to protect human rights and reject any attempt to classify people as “others” lacking intrinsic dignity.
The case has reached the Supreme Court on a writ of certiorari before judgment from the First Circuit Court of Appeals, underscoring the national significance and urgency of the dispute.