Reaction to Supreme Court decision on citizenship
Download “Mothers” from the Ohio Is My Second Country coloring book, to celebrate this Supreme Court decision.*
Following is a statement from Lynn Tramonte, Executive Director, Ohio Immigrant Alliance
The Supreme Court upheld that all babies born on U.S. soil are citizens. Yes, it's a victory. But it's terrifying to know that three U.S. Supreme Court Justices voted to make society's most vulnerable people — babies — stateless or second-class citizens, simply because of who their parents are. This is the same court that denied religious freedom to a man because he is not Christian, and denied that the Trump administration is racist against Haitians, when it's crystal clear to the entire world. How did we get to this point, where the Supreme Court is undoing so many of our nation's founding principles? It's not because the law changed.
It's because the President of the United States made division and hatred a hallmark of his politics, and institutions are afraid to oppose him. Dehumanizing and attacking the rights of immigrants, people of color, Muslims, trans people, and others — as well as their children — violates our values of freedom, fair and equal treatment, respect, and human dignity. It is the strategy our federal government is using to justify actions like this birthright citizenship executive order, cancelling Temporary Protected Status for people who cannot safely return to their native countries, helping Israel commit genocide, eliminating foreign aid programs, building massive immigration death camps to enrich their corporate friends, and doing other destructive things with our tax dollars.
It's our responsibility to lift our gaze and realize what is happening. No matter where you were born, we all want the same things. To live in a safe place and be able to take care of ourselves and our loved ones. To be treated fairly, with respect and dignity, on the job and by law enforcement. And none of us are any more, or less, deserving of these basic needs.
*A bout The Drawing: "Mothers" was drawn by Shema Asifiwe for Ohio Is My Second Country, a coloring book published by the Ohio Immigrant Alliance. The drawing was created in collaboration with the indigenous-led group Comunidad Sol. It depicts Ixil women from Iximulew (Guatemala). During pregnancy, the k'uyintxa' (midwife) becomes a temporary Txutx (mother) to the ixoj (woman). She speaks to the ne’ (baby), identifies whether it will be xaak (boy) or xuak (girl) + cares for the mother 40 days post-birth.
