AABA Condemns Attack on Birthright Citizenship

On Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, an executive order attacked the constitutional right of birthright citizenship, standing in direct opposition to Dr. King's vision for America. This executive order attempts to overturn more than a century of settled constitutional law established by United States v. Wong Kim Ark, 169 U.S. 649 (1898).  AABA condemns this executive order and stands ready to support organizations like the Asian Law Caucus that are filing suit to stop it.

Wong Kim Ark, a Chinese American born here in San Francisco to non-citizen parents, fought to have his citizenship recognized and prevailed in the Supreme Court under the Fourteenth Amendment. A mural of Wong Kim Ark stands in San Francisco's Chinatown, and his legacy is alive in so many of us who are citizens by virtue of birthright.

Since our founding in 1976, AABA has fought to protect civil rights and access to equal justice. In a post-election statement, we reiterated our commitment to these values and quoted Dr. King's admonition, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."

Dr. King's words bear repeating today. It is with love that we speak out against the hate that this order represents. Many of our AABA members are beneficiaries of birth right citizenship.  We stand ready to defend our rights, our families, and our community. Together with our allies in the legal community, AABA will advocate and litigate to protect the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship.