The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday voted in favor of upholding birthright citizenship and while advocates cheered on the highest court’s decision, the topic is close to some U.S. citizens, including a USMNT star.
Folarin Balogun said he was born in Brooklyn while his parents were visiting the U.S. His Nigerian parents were traveling through New York when his mother, who was heavily pregnant, was prevented from boarding a flight back to England.
Weeks later, the soccer star was born in New York and his family then returned to England. Born on American soil, the striker holds U.S. citizenship and is now representing Team USA in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“My decision to represent the United States … we decided it would be the right thing for me, the country I was born in. In the end, it became a no-brainer,” Balogun said in an interview with U.S. Men’s Soccer.
The striker, who has so far scored two goals for Team USA in the World Cup, opened up on the significance of representing the USMNT to him.
“To represent the United States means a lot,” he said. “I just hope I can bring that prestige and winning mentality over into soccer.”
The legal principle that a person born in the U.S. automatically becomes a citizen was further reinforced by the Supreme Court decision. Conan Nolan and Keenan Willard report for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30, 2026.
Long Beach attorney David Boyle, who filed an amicus brief opposing President Trump’s challenge, pointed to Balogun’s story after the ruling.
“America has been rewarded many times for its generosity to birthright-citizen babies… super-talented Folarin Balogun of Team USA shows a great example of how all kinds of people can contribute to the USA,” the attorney wrote in his brief.
The Constitution’s 14th Amendment confers citizenship on everyone born on U.S. soil, with exceptions for the children of foreign diplomats and those born to a foreign occupying force.