The 14th Amendment, Birthright Citizenship, and Why We Show Up
May 2026
A constitutional guarantee that has stood for 158 years is now before the Supreme Court. For Muslim families across Illinois, and communities of color across the country, what the Court decides will be personal. Here is what you need to know, and why it matters to us.
A ruling is expected by late June or early July 2026. The case is Trump v. Barbara.
Follow live updates at SCOTUSblog.com, PBS NewsHour, and ACLU.org.
What Is the 14th Amendment?
Ratified in 1868 in the aftermath of the Civil War, the 14th Amendment was written to guarantee that no one could be denied citizenship, or equal protection under the law, because of their race or ancestry. It was a direct response to the Dred Scott decision, which had declared that Black Americans could never be citizens. Its Citizenship Clause, the very first sentence, is unambiguous:
"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."
What Is Birthright Citizenship and Why Is It Under Threat?
Birthright citizenship means exactly what it says: if you are born on U.S. soil, you are an American citizen. No exceptions based on your parents' immigration status, country of origin, religion, or race. The Supreme Court affirmed this in 1898 in United States v. Wong Kim Ark — the only exceptions are children of foreign diplomats and occupying armies. The 14th Amendment does not have an asterisk.
On January 20, 2025, his first day back in office, President Trump signed an executive order declaring that children born in the U.S. to undocumented parents or parents on temporary visas would no longer automatically receive citizenship. It was a direct attempt to reinterpret the 14th Amendment by executive action alone. Federal courts across the country immediately blocked the order. But the administration appealed, and the case Trump v. Barbara reached the Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments on April 1, 2026.
158 years the 14th Amendment has protected everyone born here
5M+ children could lose citizenship over the next two decades
25% potential increase in the undocumented population over 50 years
What This Means for Muslim Families
According to the Illinois Muslim Report, the first comprehensive study of its kind, conducted by the Muslim Civic Coalition and partners, Illinois has the largest Muslim population per capita in the nation.
Muslims are the most diverse faith community in the state:
Illinois Muslims by race/ethnicity: 35% Black, 31% Asian, 23% White, 8% Hispanic
55% born outside the U.S.
This community is Arab and South Asian and Black American and African and Southeast Asian and Latino. It is immigrants and fourth-generation Americans. A snapshot of Illinois Muslims is a snapshot of America's diversity.
The threat to birthright citizenship lands across every one of those groups. For Black Muslim families, many tracing roots to West Africa, East Africa, and the African American Muslim tradition, it compounds generations of racial exclusion. For Asian and Latino Muslim families who arrived on student or work visas and built lives here while their children were born as American citizens, it strikes at the foundation of everything they came to build. For Arab Muslim families, it is one more layer of targeting on a community whose belonging has never gone unquestioned.
For all of them, the 14th Amendment was never an abstraction. It was a promise: your child, born here, is home.
We Were in the Room: Allies United Breakfast
On April 30, Muslim Civic Coalition joined more than 120 community leaders at the Allies United Breakfast at the Chicago Urban League's Empowerment Center, the third convening of a coalition that grew out of the aftermath of George Floyd's murder in 2020 and has expanded to include multi-race, multi-faith, multi-issue, social justice, and immigrant organizations across Illinois.
The morning included a powerful session on the diversity of American Muslim identity in Illinois, led by Dr. Dilara Sayeed, CEO of Penny Appeal USA and Muslim Civic Coalition board member, and Ndidi Okakpu of Okakpu Consulting, followed by a panel on the 14th Amendment and birthright citizenship moderated by Karina Ayala-Bermejo, President & CEO of Instituto Del Progreso Latino.
Panel: The 14th Amendment and Birthright Citizenship
Moderator: Karina Ayala-Bermejo, Instituto Del Progreso Latino
Panelists: Lisa Wright (CASL), Amina Barhumi (Muslim Civic Coalition), Fatima Mohammed (Muslim Civic Coalition), Marty Castro, Casa Central
A Personal Story
Some people understand the 14th Amendment as a legal text. Amina Barhumi understands it as a promise she made to her children. Born in Beirut during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, she came to the United States as a refugee, stayed, and raised four children here—four children who, by the grace of the 14th Amendment, were born American citizens. Now that same amendment is under attack. And Amina Barhumi is not standing down.
“No matter how far you run from the fires of empire, the same forces of supremacy that fueled those wars can still reach across oceans to strip away the very rights that are supposed to give you shelter.”
“We are not new to tactics that target our community. Our faith has been criminalized, our communities surveilled, our families targeted. But we are still here — showing up, organizing, and demanding that our democracy live up to its own promise. As we mark 250 years since the founding of the United States, the 14th Amendment reminds us how far we’ve had to fight just to be included in that promise — and how much further we still have to go. We are not just witnesses to this democracy. We are here to shape its future. And that work is not done.”
What You Can Do Right Now
The ruling in Trump v. Barbara is expected by late June or early July 2026. This is the moment to act.
Know your rights. The ACLU's Born in the USA campaign has resources, legal information, and a petition you can sign.
Follow the ruling, use these links. SCOTUSblog.com and at PBS NewsHour and CNN's birthright citizenship coverage.
Tell your story. Share it with your networks and with your elected officials. If you have a personal story to feature, email us at info@muslimcivicoalition.org