The day President Donald Trump returned for his second term at the White House, he signed an executive order redefining Birthright Citizenship. The order argued that children born in the United States are citizens only if they have at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident.
A day later, five pregnant women filed a lawsuit against the federal government. Claiming that the order is unconstitutional and protected by the 14th Amendment.
“I’m waiting for my baby with the greatest love in the world, but with all these problems,” one of the women suing told Latino USA.
The women and their litigation team, Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project (ASAP), CASA, and the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection (ICAP) are fighting to protect the rights of all children born in the United States. And for Mónica, as an asylum seeker with no country to return to, without birthright citizenship, her baby could be born stateless.
Listen directly from the Venezuelan pregnant woman about what she’s experiencing.
Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts.
***
This episode was produced by Monica Morales-Garcia and edited by our managing editor Fernanda Echavarri. It was fact checked by Roxana Aguirre and mixed by Stephanie Lebow.
Featured image by AP Photo/Eric Gay.
It’s one thing to debate policy at a political level, but when it comes down to separating or turning away families with newborns? That’s not just policy—it’s inhumane.
What really struck me was how these changes seem to disproportionately affect the most vulnerable people—those seeking safety, stability, or medical care. It’s not about border security at that point, it’s about cruelty masked as law. The way the article highlights the fear and uncertainty that immigrant families are living with right now was powerful and necessary.
I also appreciated the voices of advocates and legal experts offering perspective on the real-life consequences of these changes. It reminded me that we need both awareness and action—because silence only lets policies like these move forward unchecked.