This week, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected President Trump's attempt to end birthright citizenship by executive order — and I want to take a moment to reflect on what that decision means, not just as a legal matter, but as a human one.

At Building One Community, we work every day alongside immigrant families in Stamford and across Fairfield County. We see firsthand the fear, the uncertainty, and the hope that coexist in our community right now. So when the Court affirmed that every child born on American soil is a citizen of this country, regardless of the status of their parents, it felt deeply personal.

The legal foundation for this ruling is the 14th Amendment, passed after the Civil War to ensure that our country would never again be divided into classes of people with unequal rights. The drafters were clear: the children of all parentage, born here, would be regarded and treated as citizens with equal civil rights. This was a direct repudiation of the Supreme Court's shameful 1857 decision in Dred Scott, which had held that Black Americans — free or enslaved — could never be citizens. The 14th Amendment was written to close that door forever, and the Court reaffirmed that principle in 1898 in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, establishing that birthright citizenship applies to all children born on U.S. soil, regardless of their parents' citizenship.

That principle held this week. Had the decision gone the other way, we would have taken a step backward that is difficult to fully comprehend — toward a system where children born in America could grow up here, go to school here, work here, love this country, and still be told they do not fully belong to it. That is not who we are. Or at least, it is not who we aspire to be. I think about the families we serve at B1C.

I think about the children being born right now in Stamford hospitals — children who will grow up speaking English and Spanish and Portuguese and Haitian Creole and one of the 75 languages spoken in homes across our city. The City of Stamford's own data tells us that 34% of our residents are foreign-born. These are our neighbors, our coworkers, the people who build our homes, care for our elderly, teach our children, and start the businesses that keep our local economy alive. Their children are Stamford's future.

This ruling affirms that those children will have the same rights, the same starting point, and the same shot at the American dream as any child born here. That matters enormously, not just constitutionally, but for the kind of community we are building together.

As we approach the 250th anniversary of this democracy, the Supreme Court has reminded us that the promise of equality at birth is not a partisan idea. It is a foundational one. At Building One Community, we will continue to do our part, ensuring that immigrant families have access to the legal support, resources, and community they need to put down roots and contribute fully to the place they call home.

Birthright citizenship is not a loophole. It is a cornerstone.

Marissa Muñoz

Executive Director, Building One Community