CNMI leaders welcome US Supreme Court birthright citizenship ruling

Political leaders and community advocates in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) have welcomed a US Supreme Court ruling reaffirming birthright citizenship.

They say it strengthens constitutional protections for children born in America and has important implications for the US commonwealth.

CNMI's delegate to the US Congress Kimberlyn King-Hinds said she respected both the court's decision and the constitutional process behind it.

"Like many Americans, I've been following the Supreme Court's birthright citizenship case very closely. Now that the Court has spoken, I respect its decision and, just as importantly, I respect the constitutional process that got us here," King-Hinds said.

She said constitutional questions carry particular significance for the CNMI because of its unique relationship with the United States, adding that disagreements over immigration policy should be resolved through constitutional processes rather than politics.

Independent congressional candidate Galvin Deleon Guerrero also welcomed the ruling, saying it reaffirmed the promise of citizenship contained in the CNMI Covenant.

"It is very reassuring that the United States Supreme Court has reaffirmed citizenship for anyone born or naturalized in the United States. In addition to protecting millions of Americans, the Court's ruling also upholds the promise of citizenship enshrined in the CNMI's Covenant," he said.

Deleon Guerrero also cautioned against abuses of the immigration system through birth tourism and other loopholes while stressing that constitutional protections and national security should go hand in hand.

The US Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump's executive order seeking to limit birthright citizenship violates the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, reaffirming that children born on US soil and subject to US law are US citizens at birth.

The decision did not directly address citizenship in US territories, although advocates said its reasoning could affect future litigation involving the territories.

The ruling drew broad support from members of the CNMI community.

The late governor Arnold Palacios' communications adviser John Oliver Gonzales said the decision preserved the constitutional guarantee of citizenship while emphasising the need for stronger immigration enforcement.

Former lawmaker Edwin Propst called it "a victory for the Constitution and the rule of law."

Filipino community leader Carlito Marquez said the Constitution and federal law clearly establish birthright citizenship and argued that an executive order cannot override those protections.

Filipino community leader Irene Holl said the decision ensures children born in the CNMI to Filipino and other foreign-national parents continue to enjoy the same rights and privileges as other US citizens.

"They should not have fewer rights simply because their parents are not US citizens. This is America. The fact that this law has existed for more than 100 years, and has now been reaffirmed once again, shows that America remains a land of equality and opportunity for everyone, regardless of race or background," she said.

Kelvin Rodeo, a California resident born on Saipan to Filipino parents, said the decision reaffirmed the citizenship rights of thousands of people born in the CNMI to foreign worker families.

"We were born on US soil, raised under the American flag, and many of us even fought for our country," Rodeo said.