Houston-area immigration lawyers and advocacy groups celebrated a rare victory Tuesday after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected President Donald Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship for children born to immigrants living in the country illegally.
Their celebration came as Republican officials in Texas criticized the ruling as a threat to sovereignty and security.
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MORE COVERAGE: Greg Abbott says SCOTUS ‘missed opportunity’ in upholding birthright citizenship
The decision by the nation’s high court concluded a 17-month legal fight that started when Trump issued an executive order reinterpreting the 158-year-old provision immediately after he took office.
“This could have had huge implications and repercussions for many people. It would have been a nightmare,” said Ruby Powers, a Houston-based immigration attorney. “Like many of the Trump administration policies, it was meant to cause a lot of fear and chaos.”
The 6-3 ruling saw three conservative justices join the court’s more liberal faction. “Children born in the United States to parents unlawfully or temporarily present are ‘subject to the jurisdiction’ of the United States and are citizens,” the court’s opinion stated.
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Had the president’s executive order been allowed to stand, Powers said that it would have sowed confusion for families and also government officials tasked with implementing a dramatic change to federal policy.
“It would have been a nightmare for the Department of State, for attorneys, for individuals. It could have left a lot of people stateless,” Powers said. “The Supreme Court made the right decision.”
As of 2024, more than 2,084,000 children with at least one immigrant parent were born in Texas, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
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FIEL Houston, an immigrant advocacy group, celebrated the decision as a rejection of Trump’s efforts to “circumvent” the U.S. Constitution.
“After two years of limbo, the Supreme Court has ratified the meaning of the 14th Amendment and said that anyone born in the U.S. is subject to the 14th Amendment,” FIEL executive director Cesar Espinosa said in a statement. “We continue to work to uplift our community, and we continue to believe in the Constitution of the United States, reiterating that no administration can create laws that benefit their political agenda.”
‘We must remain vigilant’
Others were more tempered in their reactions. They cheered the decision while also warning that future challenges to the U.S. Constitution are likely and policies targeting immigrant communities will likely continue.
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“I am relieved the court rejected this unconstitutional power grab. But the fact that such an extreme attack reached the Supreme Court should concern everyone who values equal protection under the law,” U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, said in a statement. “We must remain vigilant and continue to defend the Constitution against any president who believes he is above it.”
The Texas Civil Rights Project said the decision reaffirms the belief that birthright citizenship is “fundamental to the American experiment” while urging citizens to remain engaged.
“The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold our Constitution displays what we’ve always known to be true: All people born in the United States are American citizens,” said Rochelle Garza, the president of the Texas Civil Rights Project. “We must remain vigilant to ensure that all citizens are afforded the protections of our country and that our most basic constitutional rights never be denied.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott speaks at the Texas GOP convention in the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston Friday, June 12, 2026.
Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle
‘A magnet for illegal immigration’
Texas Republicans wasted no time in slamming the high court on the decision they allege will fuel more unauthorized immigration.
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the court missed an opportunity to “restore the original meaning of the 14th Amendment.”
“Birthright citizenship has become a powerful magnet for illegal immigration that will forever change our nation if left unaddressed,” Abbott posted on X. “Automatic citizenship for children born to parents in the United States illegally or only temporarily is an absurdity that was never contemplated by our Constitution nor agreed to by the American people.”
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called the decision a “travesty” and urged Congress to act to reverse the long-standing policy.
“The Court adopted an interpretation that departs from the original meaning of the Constitution and incentivizes illegal immigration,” Cruz said in a statement. “Congress retains the authority to clarify federal law, and it should act immediately to restore the original meaning of the Citizenship Clause and protect the integrity of American citizenship.”
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Outgoing U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, used the decision to tout his legislation intended to stop “birth tourism” by foreign countries he said are adversaries to the United States.
“One thing we know for sure: foreign nationals are exploiting our laws and undermining our nation’s sovereignty,” he posted.