Attorney General Tong Applauds Court Decision Upholding Birthright Citizenship Protections

Attorney General William Tong praised a major court victory this week after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit upheld a nationwide injunction blocking former President Trump’s executive order that sought to end birthright citizenship. Tong, who joined a coalition of states challenging the order, called the ruling a decisive affirmation of one of the Constitution’s most fundamental principles.

“This opinion is as clear as it gets—there is just zero legitimate debate on what our Constitution says about birthright citizenship,” Tong said. “This was not a close call. If you are born on American soil, you are an American. Period. Full stop. It’s clear, however, that we have a President who neither understands nor respects our laws, who has hardened himself to the suffering and destruction he needlessly inflicts on American children and families. And because of that, we will continue our fight to vigorously and relentlessly defend our nation of laws and the safety of our families.”

The case stems from one of Trump’s earliest actions as president. On his first day in office, he signed an executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship, fulfilling a campaign promise widely condemned by legal experts as unconstitutional. The Fourteenth Amendment and Section 1401 of the Immigration and Nationality Act clearly establish that anyone born on U.S. soil is automatically an American citizen, regardless of their parents’ immigration status. Tong joined attorneys general from 17 other states, the District of Columbia, and the City of San Francisco in suing to block the order, arguing that it stripped away rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

In response to those challenges, multiple courts issued nationwide injunctions to stop the Trump administration from enforcing the policy. The administration appealed, and while the U.S. Supreme Court initially struck down the injunction in a 6-3 decision and sent the case back to the lower court, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts reinstated the nationwide injunction. That decision was just affirmed by the First Circuit, marking another key victory for the coalition. The Supreme Court has yet to rule on the full merits of the case, but for now, the protection of birthright citizenship remains intact.

For Tong, the issue is deeply personal. Born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1973, he became the first U.S. citizen in his family by virtue of his birth on American soil. He went on to make history as the first Asian American elected to state office in Connecticut and the first Chinese American elected Attorney General in the United States. Tong attended oral arguments at the Supreme Court in May, standing alongside his fellow attorneys general to defend the constitutional principle that made him—and millions of others—American citizens by birthright.

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I love Tong, but what is this self dulatory video he posted on his press release?

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