LatinoJustice Response to Trump’s Assault on Birthright Citizenship

CONTACT: Christiaan Perez at [email protected] or 212-739-7581

Yesterday, President Trump doubled down on his assault on our communities by calling for an end to Birthright Citizenship. Below is a statement in English and Spanish from Juan Cartagena, President and General Counsel at LatinoJustice PRLDEF.
 
::Español abajo::
 
The Trump Lie of the Day: the president pretends to have the authority to amend the Constitution whenever he wants. In this country, the right to birthright citizenship is a legacy from a civil war and a promise that rejects the concept that citizenship is defined exclusively through one’s race, nationality or blood line. The president does not have the power to change our legal system. He lies so that he can feed the racist rhetoric that he continues to spout.
 
La mentira trumpiana del día: el presidente pretende arroparse con la autoridad de enmendar la constitución cuando a él le da la gana. En este país el derecho a la ciudadanía por nacimiento es el legado de una guerra civil y la promesa de rechazar el concepto de que tu raza, tu nacionalidad o tu sangre definen exclusivamente si eres ciudadano.  El presidente no tiene la potestad de cambiar nuestro sistema de leyes y miente que sí lo tiene para alimentar su retórica racista.