Unlikely Heroes Stand Up to Trump’s Frontal Assault on the Nation
It is going to be a long four years, and we are going to need many unlikely heroes to stand up for our nation and its values.
Birthright Citizenship
Judge Cougenhour in Seattle issued a temporary restraining order against President Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship, a right guaranteed by the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution. “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 also defines citizens and includes similar language.” "I've been on the bench for over four decades. I can't remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one. This is a blatantly unconstitutional order," Coughenour said of Trump's policy.” https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-judge-hear-states-bid-block-trump-birthright-citizenship-order-2025-01-23/
What is birthright citizenship? Basically, if you are born in the US, you are a US citizen, that is true of almost every nation in the Western Hemisphere. https://www.axios.com/2025/01/25/birthright-citizenship-world-map-trump You are also a US citizen if one or both of your parents is a US citizen. https://www.globalcitizensolutions.com/citizenship-by-descent/#:~:text=What%20is%20the%20easiest%20citizenship,are%20generally%20no%20generational%20limitations. You may also become a US citizen through the naturalization process. https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/learn-about-citizenship/citizenship-and-naturalization
The process for changing the US Constitution requires a 2/3rd vote in both Houses of Congress and 3/4th ratification from each state. Rather than going through the arduous process of building consensus in Congress and the states and among the American people, Trump simply issued an executive order directing all federal agencies not to recognize the citizenship of new born. See https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/protecting-the-meaning-and-value-of-american-citizenship/ Legal experts say that birthright citizenship (ius soli) has been settled Constitutional law for over 150 years in the US and many other nations. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7vdnlmgyndo
Trump’s order seeks to disenfranchise citizenship for an estimated 250,000 American babies a year. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7vdnlmgyndo The Cato Institute describes the extensive practical difficulties with Trump seeking to reverse 420 years of settled law. https://www.cato.org/blog/there-no-good-reason-revoke-birthright-citizenship
Many European countries do not recognize birthright citizenship, but instead rely on birthright by blood and naturalization. For example, ius sanguinis, birthright by blood, gives every person of Italian descent living anywhere in the world the right to claim Italian citizenship, provided they can prove their Italian ancestry back to March 17, 1861. https://italiancitizenshipassistance.com/jure-sanguinis/ Likewise Irish persons living anywhere in the world with a parent or grandparent who was born in Ireland can claim Irish citizenry and move to Ireland, if they can prove their Irish ancestry. https://globalresidenceindex.com/irish-citizenship-by-descent/ Our American traditions and their Constitutional underpinnings are formed by our heritage as a nation of immigrants. Theirs are formed by their very different traditions as nations of emigrants.
Christian Leaders Speak to Trump
I would hope that many people read the actual words of the remarkable sermon of Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/24/bishop-mariann-edgar-budde-sermon-that-enraged-donald-trump It is far more compelling, nuanced and complex than the snippets about showing mercy towards LGBT and immigrant youth reported in the press or excerpts played on TV.
It is addressed to all of us, not just to the President who took such umbrage at her words about the teachings of the Lord. Below are some of the thoughts she expressed about the challenges facing our nation.
“Unity, in this sense, is the threshold requirement for people to live together in a free society, it is the solid rock, as Jesus said, in this case upon which to build a nation. It is not conformity. It is not a victory of one over another. It is not weary politeness nor passivity born of exhaustion. Unity is not partisan. Rather, unity is a way of being with one another that encompasses and respects differences, that teaches us to hold multiple perspectives and life experiences as valid and worthy of respect; that enables us, in our communities and in the halls of power, to genuinely care for one another even when we disagree.” …
“Given this, is true unity among us even possible? And why should we care about it? Well, I hope that we care, because the culture of contempt that has become normalized in our country threatens to destroy us. We are all bombarded daily with messages from what sociologists now call “the outrage industrial complex”, some of it driven by external forces whose interests are furthered by a polarized America. Contempt fuels our political campaigns and social media, and many profit from it. But it’s a dangerous way to lead a country.” https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/24/bishop-mariann-edgar-budde-sermon-that-enraged-donald-trump
The US Catholic Conference of Bishops also spoke critically to Trump’s executive orders as follows. "Some provisions contained in the Executive Orders, such as those focused on the treatment of immigrants and refugees, foreign aid, expansion of the death penalty, and the environment, are deeply troubling and will have negative consequences, many of which will harm the most vulnerable among us," said Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the U.S. bishops' conference. Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, “whose Texas diocese is on the U.S.-Mexico border, denounced the Department of Homeland Security's decision to permit immigration raids in schools and churches, stating that it "strikes fear into the heart of our community, cynically layering a blanket of anxiety on families when they are worshiping God, seeking healthcare, and dropping off and picking up children at school." https://www.ncronline.org/news/bishops-condemn-trumps-immigration-orders-stoking-fear-anxiety
The leaders of the Episcopal Church in the US weighed in with a broad ranging critique of Trump’s policies towards immigrants and a call to action for its members to address Congress with the church’s opposition to the Trump Administration’s treatment of immigrants. “ As Christians, our faith is shaped by the biblical story of people whom God led into foreign countries to escape oppression. Exodus tells us the story of the ancient Israelites escaping slavery in the land of Egypt and wandering in the wilderness without a home. In Leviticus 19:33-34, God commands that we remember this sojourn as part of our own story of faith: “When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.” https://www.episcopalchurch.org/publicaffairs/letter-from-episcopal-church-leaders-on-trump-administration-immigration-executive-orders/