In a major development in the ongoing national debate over immigration and constitutional rights, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) filed a formal legal challenge on Friday, February 27, 2026, opposing President Donald Trump’s attempt to end automatic birthright citizenship in the United States — a measure widely criticised as unconstitutional and discriminatory.
The bishops’ action marks a significant escalation in efforts to block the controversial policy, which seeks to revoke citizenship rights guaranteed under the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution for children born on American soil to parents without legal status or only temporary visas. Under traditional interpretation, birthright citizenship has been protected for more than a century, rooted in the post-Civil War constitutional guarantee that “all persons born… in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.”
In Tuesday’s filing, the Catholic bishops characterised Trump’s executive order as not only unconstitutional but also fundamentally opposed to core moral principles upheld by the Church. They assert that the policy would strip innocent children of rights they have historically enjoyed and create profound legal and moral inconsistencies with long-standing U.S. legal precedent and religious teachings on human dignity. Clerical leaders emphasised that birthright citizenship reflects a commitment to inclusion, justice, and protection of the vulnerable.
The challenge comes amid a broader legal battle over the president’s executive order, first signed in early 2025 — Executive Order 14160 — which aimed to redefine eligibility for automatic citizenship based on parentage and legal status. That order has faced multiple federal court blocks and remains tied up in litigation concerning its compliance with the Constitution’s citizenship clause.
Legal experts and civil rights advocates warn that ending birthright citizenship through executive action threatens to upend longstanding constitutional doctrine and could result in widespread uncertainty about citizenship status for tens of thousands of children each year. In allied legal efforts, a coalition of civil rights groups and state officials has also urged the Supreme Court to uphold the constitutional guarantee and reject the administration’s attempt to rewrite the law.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ challenge is significant not only for its legal implications but also because it frames the policy conflict in both constitutional and moral terms — highlighting concerns about the social, ethical, and human impacts if birthright citizenship were restricted. Bishops have historically played influential roles in public debates on immigration and human rights, and today’s filing underscores the depth of religious opposition to the executive order.
As the case proceeds in U.S. courts, all eyes are on the Supreme Court, which may ultimately determine whether the executive branch has the authority to alter a constitutional right that has been recognised for generations. The outcome will have far-reaching consequences for immigration policy, civil rights, and the future shape of American citizenship law.