NEW YORK, January 24, 2025 (WSH) –– The Committee of 100, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization of prominent Chinese Americans, has strongly criticized President Donald Trump’s Executive Order to end birthright citizenship.
The order, which includes denying citizenship to children born in the U.S. to a mother lawfully present on a temporary visa and a father who is neither a U.S. citizen nor a lawful permanent resident, has sparked widespread outrage and legal challenges.
The 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees citizenship to all individuals born on U.S. soil, regardless of their parents’ immigration status. This constitutional right was upheld in the landmark 1898 Supreme Court case United States v. Wong Kim Ark, which affirmed the citizenship of an American-born son of Chinese immigrants. Currently, 22 states have filed lawsuits seeking to block the implementation of the Executive Order.
“This Executive Order is a blatant attack on a fundamental constitutional right—a right upheld by the landmark case of a son of Chinese immigrants, United States v. Wong Kim Ark,” said Cindy Tsai, Interim President of the Committee of 100. “For generations, the Chinese American community has faced exclusionary policies, systemic racism, and violence despite their significant contributions to this nation. Revoking birthright citizenship represents a troubling return to discriminatory practices, disturbing settled law, and decades of progress toward inclusivity.
Targeting this right is an assault on the core American values of liberty and equality. The Committee of 100 stands firmly in solidarity with all communities impacted by this unjust and divisive policy.”
Stewart Kwoh, Co-Founder of The Asian American Education Project and a Committee of 100 member since 1999, added, “President Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship is an affront to the core principles of equality and opportunity that have guided this nation for generations. As educators, we know firsthand how the fear and uncertainty created by such policies harm our students and their families, particularly in immigrant communities. This order threatens to marginalize and disenfranchise children born on U.S. soil, many of whom belong to the AAPI community, and it risks undoing the progress we’ve made toward a more inclusive and equitable society.”
The Committee of 100 emphasized the significant historical and legal precedent supporting birthright citizenship, highlighting its critical role in protecting the rights and opportunities of immigrant communities. The organization called on leaders and communities across the nation to reject this Executive Order and uphold the constitutional promise of equality for all.
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