1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution explicitly grants birthright citizenship, stating that "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States." This has been interpreted for over 150 years to mean that any child born on U.S. soil, regardless of their parents' immigration status, is an American citizen from birth. Attempting to restrict or eliminate this long-standing constitutional right through executive order is likely unconstitutional and a violation of well-established precedent. Numerous states have already filed suit challenging the executive order as unlawful, citing the clear language of the 14th Amendment as well as the 1898 Supreme Court case of United States v. Wong Kim Ark which affirmed birthright citizenship. Legal experts across the political spectrum agree the order oversteps presidential authority and will likely be struck down by the courts. It also cruelly denies American citizenship to children who are just as American as any of us by the mere circumstance of their birth. Rather than pursuing legally dubious and morally questionable orders that upend over a century of settled law and practice, efforts would be better directed at comprehensively reforming our outdated immigration system through the Constitutional legislative process. Birthright citizenship is a core American principle and value that should be honored, not undermined through overreach. I urge reconsideration of this ill-advised executive order. Sincerely, Mary Beth Jaynes Custer, Washington