WASHINGTON, June 30, 2026—Today, the international humanitarian and social justice organization Church World Service welcomed the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. Barbara affirming that the Constitution guarantees citizenship to those born on U.S. soil, while decrying two SCOTUS rulings last week allowing the Trump administration, respectively, to turn away asylum seekers at the border and to terminate Temporary Protected Status for nationals of Haiti and Syria.
Today, the Court ruled that the Trump administration’s executive order that attempted to deny birthright citizenship to certain children born in the United States is unconstitutional, thus blocking a policy that would have refused to recognize the citizenship of an estimated 255,000 children a year, with some at risk of being born stateless.
“Birthright citizenship is a promise America made to every child born within its borders: You belong here, as a full and equal citizen. Today, the Supreme Court kept that promise, upheld the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and recognized the foundational principle that any person born in this country, regardless of their parent’s immigration status, can be an American,” said the Rev. Noel Andersen, National Field Director for CWS. “The principles of our faith, which recognize and affirm the inherent, God-given worth and dignity of all people, have long been intertwined with abolitionist efforts to secure equal protection for all citizens in the U.S. Constitution, including all persons born on U.S. soil.”
Today’s ruling reaffirming the Fourteenth Amendment was issued within days of two deeply troubling Supreme Court decisions that undermine asylum rights and legal protections enshrined in U.S. law by the Refugee Act of 1980—and that will expose extremely vulnerable people to profound harm.
On June 25, the Court ruled in Mullin v. Doe to allow the administration to terminate Temporary Protected Status for over 330,000 Haitians and several thousand Syrians. The ruling, which will go into effect within the next 30 days, strips work authorization and deportation protection from hundreds of thousands of people who have lived, worked, worshiped, and raised families in U.S. communities for years and clears the way for their removal to countries the U.S. government itself does not deem safe.
“The Supreme Court’s decision allowing the Trump administration to strip our Haitian and Syrian neighbors with TPS of their legal status without legal oversight is a moral failure,” said Andersen. “TPS was designed as a humanitarian program that protects people from harm. It has long been a lifeline for people fleeing dangerous conditions in their home country. Those who are removed could face dangerous, even fatal consequences.”
On the same day, the Court held in Mullin v. Al Otro Lado that federal law allows the U.S. government to turn away asylum seekers at ports of entry, before setting foot in the country, effectively denying them the ability to apply for asylum.
“This ruling contradicts international law and U.S. obligations to uphold asylum and protection: It will force asylum seekers into perilous situations that will put their lives at risk,” said Andersen. “Faith communities across traditions worked tirelessly to pass the Refugee Act and honor the sacred call to accompany people fleeing violence and persecution. We cannot celebrate one affirmation of belonging while ignoring two rulings that tell our neighbors they do not belong. CWS calls on Congress to act swiftly to restore what the Court has taken away, and urges the Senate to extend and redesignate TPS protections for Haitians by passing S. 4814.”
Take Action: Urge Your Senators to Pass Legislation to Protect Haitian TPS Holders