Randall Announces Task Force to Defend the 14th Amendment

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Last night, U.S. Congresswoman Emily Randall (D, WA-06), co-chair of the new Defend the 14th Amendment Task Force, spoke on the House floor alongside her fellow task force members to call attention to President Trump and Stephen Miller's persistent attacks on birthright citizenship. The Defend the 14th Amendment Task Force will engage experts and convene Members to defend the Constitution, coordinate oversight and public education campaigns, and respond to actions by the Trump Administration that undermine the rights and protections guaranteed by the 14th Amendment.

"Donald Trump and Stephen Miller attempted to rewrite the Constitution through an executive order banning birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants - the same legal arguments that were first used when a white supremacist wanted to deny U.S. citizenship to Chinese Americans," said Rep. Randall on the House floor. "This is all part of a larger agenda to dehumanize Black and Brown people in this country, to strip away their rights, and to normalize questioning who belongs here, who is American enough."

On January 20, 2025, the first day of President Trump's second term in office, he signed Executive Order 14160, aimed at stripping birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants. Trump's EO was immediately challenged, and the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear oral arguments on April 1, 2026. On June 30, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to strike down Trump's Executive Order and upheld birthright citizenship. The Defend the 14th Amendment Task Force was launched shortly thereafter, with members voicing serious concern that four Justices ruled in favor of abolishing our constitutional amendment.

"Last week's decision affirmed the actual words in the constitution - that if you are born in this country, you are a citizen of this country - but the fact the 4 justices dissented shows that we're not safe from these continuous attacks from Donald Trump, his administration, and what is an activist and extremist conservative Supreme Court. We have to continue fighting to ensure that the citizens of the United States are protected and that nothing erodes that constitutional protection," said Representative Emily Randall (D, WA-06).

Congresswoman Randall will be co-chairing the task force alongside Representatives Emanuel Cleaver (D, MO-05), Analilia Mejia (D, NJ-11), Lateefah Simon (D, CA-12), and Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10).