Citizenship Archives

The Supreme Court has agreed to bypass lower appeals courts and review a case about a question on the 2020 census asking about citizenship status.

News in Brief

The Supreme Court Will Bypass Lower Courts to Review Controversial Census Question About Citizenship Status

After a circuit court ordered the removal of a citizenship question from the census, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to weigh in on the case. On Friday, the high court agreed.

Kate Wheeling

Social Justice

Uncertainty Around the 2020 Census Has Local Leaders on the Back Foot

Uncertainty over the government's future operations and the addition of a citizenship question have left cities bracing for chaos during the upcoming census.

Kriston Capps

A Judge Blocked the Census Citizenship Question. Here’s What the Plaintiffs Are Saying.

The judge ruled that, while the administration's move to include a citizenship question was not in itself unconstitutional, it was "unlawful for a multitude of independent reasons."

Jack Herrera

Social Justice

President Trump’s Expansion of Immigration Fraud Investigations Comes With Significant Risks

The government's litigation procedures carry a disturbingly high risk of mistakenly taking away citizenship from someone who committed neither crime nor fraud.

Cassandra Burke Robertson & Irina D. Manta

Central American immigrant families depart ICE custody in McAllen, Texas, pending future immigration court hearings, in June of 2018.

As the Public Comment Period Ends, Advocacy Groups Mount One Last Push Against Trump’s ‘Public Charge’ Rule

Monday marks the last day for public comment on the rule, which could make it harder for millions of immigrants who have used public services to acquire a green card or citizenship.

Jack Herrera

Education

Denver Public Libraries Are Helping Immigrants Become Citizens

A unique program in the Mile High City seeks to integrate the city's growing immigrant and refugee population into its 75 neighborhoods—and the country as a whole.

Jennifer Oldham

A U.S. Citizen Who Was Detained and Nearly Deported Files a Lawsuit in Florida

Peter Brown remained locked in a county jail for weeks, as county officials waited for immigration authorities to deport him to Jamaica—a country he had never lived in.

Jack Herrera

An emotional father embraces his son for the first time in months on August 7th, 2018, in Guatemala City, Guatemala. They had been separated as part of the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy at the border.

What Would Ending Birthright Citizenship Mean for the United States?

Social science (and history) shows that repealing birthright citizenship is rarely an effective solution for an overburdened nation.

Emily Moon

A man casts a vote in the South Carolina Republican presidential primary on February 20th, 2016, in West Columbia, South Carolina.

Social Justice

The Texas Democratic Party May Be Investigated for a Confusing Voter Registration Mailer

The Texas secretary of state's office has asked the state's attorney general to investigate a democratic mailer that had a checkbox indicating citizenship pre-checked.

Blake Paterson

Social Justice

Is Asking a Citizenship Question on the Census Legal?

Six lawsuits challenging the legality of the citizenship question, filed by various groups including the states of New York and California, are now pending in federal courts.

Jonathan Entin