NY lawmakers weigh in on Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling

WASHINGTON — Gov. Kathy Hochul and Long Island’s Democratic elected federal officials on Tuesday hailed the U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of President Donald Trump's effort to undo guaranteed U.S. citizenship to virtually all children born on U.S. soil.

But Island Republicans — one of them in Congress and another seeking to unseat a Democratic incumbent — expressed dissatisfaction.

A third Republican, Rep. Andrew Garbarino of Bayport — who chairs the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security — sidestepped immediate comment, his office saying he was continuing to review the decision.

"For generations, immigrants have come to New York in search of freedom and opportunity, helping build the strongest, most vibrant state in the nation," Hochul, a Democrat, posted on X. "As the granddaughter of Irish immigrants, I am heartened to see the Supreme Court's decision rejecting the Trump administration's cruel attack on birthright citizenship."

But Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) said he was "deeply disappointed." He argued the birthright citizenship clause was intended to guarantee citizenship to the children of freed slaves — "not automatically grant U.S. citizenship to the children of temporary visitors or those who entered our country illegally."

LaLota's Democratic challenger, Chris Gallant, of Amity Harbor, celebrated the ruling, saying “constitutional rights cannot be rewritten by executive order."

“We need secure borders and an orderly immigration system, and we need leaders that respect the rule of law," Gallant said. "I'm glad to see the Supreme Court is finally starting to remember that.”

But LaLota's dismay was echoed by fellow Republican Jeanine Driscoll, who hopes to unseat freshman Rep. Laura Gillen (D-Rockville Centre) in the fall elections.

Several Democrats representing Long Island noted the Trump administration’s executive order to end birthright citizenship had threatened to rewrite more than a century of settled constitutional law and leave with legal uncertainty generations of children born to immigrants living in the country illegally and to temporary foreign residents.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-Brooklyn) said, "For 250 years, America has been a nation made stronger by immigrants."

"Despite Trump’s best efforts to bully them, the Supreme Court just reaffirmed that if you are born in America, you belong in America," Schumer said.

"Thank God the Supreme Court affirmed birthright citizenship," said Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) in a statement. The Court’s overturning birthright citizenship would have been "deeply damaging," he said.

But Suozzi added there is much more to do — including for Congress and the president to work together to "repair our broken asylum system," and provide a path to legal status for the millions of people who have worked in the United States for decades.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-Brunswick) said, "The President tried to rewrite the Constitution with the stroke of a pen. The Court told him he could not."

Had his order been upheld, Gillibrand said, "children born in our hospitals, in our communities, and on our soil could have been denied the basic recognition of their citizenship in the only country they have ever known."

Gillen said, "The Constitution is clear that anyone born in the United States is an American citizen. This fundamental principle endured as the court reaffirmed the promise of the 14th Amendment."

But Driscoll, the sitting Hempstead receiver of taxes and Village of Bellerose resident who is challenging Gillen this fall, sharply differed. She pointed to the so-called "birth tourism" industry, where foreign parents give birth to their children in U.S. soil as a way of making them naturalized citizens.

"Ending the abuse of birthright citizenship is an important part of any comprehensive solution to our illegal immigration crisis," Driscoll said in a statement. As a potential member of Congress, she said, "I look forward to working with President Trump to enact new laws that stop the blatant exploitation of our asylum system and prevent birth tourism."

While Garbarino was not offering immediate comment, his Democratic challenger, Patrick Halpin, of Oak Beach, said in a statement that "the fact that this case was ever brought to the Supreme Court is outrageous and un-American," and that he is relieved the court reaffirmed birthright citizenship. He added, "We must remain vigilant against those who would chip away at the freedoms that define America."

LaLota — similar to House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) reaction Tuesday — said the Supreme Court’s ruling "encourages illegal immigration and birth tourism," and "makes America a magnet for those seeking to exploit our immigration system." He said Congress should establish exceptions to birthright citizenship.

But House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn) called the effort to overturn birthright citizenship "an unconstitutional attack launched by Donald Trump and his most sycophantic and xenophobic enablers."

"On the eve of America’s 250th birthday, the far-right MAGA conservatives have failed in their quest to remake the United States, and American values have prevailed," he said.