(RNS) — The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has filed an amicus brief in a case before the U.S. Supreme Court opposing President Donald Trump’s efforts to eliminate birthright citizenship, arguing to the majority-Catholic justices that doing away with it would undermine church teaching and the “moral foundations” of the country.
The right of anyone born in the confines of the United States to automatically be a citizen has traditionally been found in the 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868. But the Trump White House claims that birthright citizenship is only an interpretation, not explicitly granted in all instances. In January, the president issued an executive order to end the right, which drew immediate legal challenges and outcry — including from the Catholic bishops.
“The intended and unintended effects of the Executive Order are immoral and contrary to the Catholic Church’s fundamental beliefs and teachings regarding the life and dignity of human persons, the treatment of vulnerable people — particularly migrants and children — and family unity,” the bishops’ brief reads.
The brief is the latest in growing pushback from Catholic leaders about the president’s immigration policies, with the conservative-leaning conference of prelates increasingly at odds with the Republican administration’s efforts to pursue mass deportations. Since Trump’s rash of executive orders issued in the first week of his second term, the sitting presidents of the USCCB as well as those representing its migration committee have sent out statements of deep concern.
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In addition to citing the Constituti …