Emily Randall · TranslatePolitics.com

House of Representatives

Honoring the 158th Anniversary of the 14th Amendment

2026-07-15

“I am part of a group that wants to defend the 14th Amendment. We think Donald Trump and his administration are attacking it. We think they want to take away rights from some people. We want to stop them. I want to say that Republicans are spending a lot of money on Donald Trump's immigration plan. I think this is part of a bigger plan to take away rights from people who are not white. I want to say that we will fight against these attacks. I want to say that it is our duty to protect the Constitution. I am proud to be part of this group.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Mejia for her leadership. Mr. Speaker, the 14th Amendment means what it says: ``All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States. . . .'' Those are the words on paper. Donald Trump and Stephen Miller attempted to rewrite the Constitution through an executive order banning birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants. It is the same legal arguments that were first used when a white supremacist wanted to deny U.S. citizenship to Chinese Americans. Four Supreme Court Justices dissented in the ruling to protect the 14th Amendment. That tells us that we are not safe from these continuous attacks from Donald Trump and his administration on our Constitution, on our freedom, and on our neighbors. We know that the White House is currently scheming to have Trump's activist Supreme Court rehear the case that upheld the 14th Amendment, that upheld birthright citizenship. This is all part of a larger agenda to dehumanize Black and Brown people in this country, to strip away their rights, and to normalize questioning who belongs here. Who is American enough? It is why Republicans have funded Donald Trump's immigration agenda by $200 billion and why on the 158th anniversary of the 14th Amendment, my colleagues and I launched the Defend the 14th Amendment Task Force. Our goal is simple: to defend the Constitution, to coordinate oversight and public education efforts, and to respond strongly to the Trump administration's attacks on our rights, on our freedom, on our Constitution, our country, and our communities. We will stand up to these attacks on civil liberties. We must continue this fight to ensure that the citizens of the United States are protected and that nothing erodes these constitutional protections. It is our duty. It is our responsibility, and it is the oath we swore when we took this public office. Mr. Speaker, I am so proud to be a co-chair of this task force and so proud to stand here in defense of our Constitution.

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