WATCH: Padilla, ACLU, Advocates, Rally in Support of Birthright Citizenship

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, joined advocates, legal experts, and community leaders at a rally outside the Supreme Court as justices hear oral arguments in Trump v. Barbara, a case challenging President Trump's unconstitutional executive order restricting birthright citizenship.

Hundreds of people attended the rally, where Padilla condemned the Trump Administration's un-American efforts to erode birthright citizenship, explained what this moment means for families nationwide, and underscored the constitutional right to citizenship for anyone born in the United States. Last month, Padilla joined Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), and 26 other Senate Democrats in filing a bicameral amicus brief standing up for birthright citizenship in Trump v. Barbara.

Padilla has been a leader in fighting back against Republicans' unconstitutional efforts to erode birthright citizenship. Earlier this month, Padilla slammed the Trump Administration's efforts to strip birthright citizenship from service members like Alejandro Barranco, an active duty Marine. Last June, Padilla sharply criticized the Supreme Court's ruling to curtail federal courts' power to issue injunctions, arguing that the Court emboldened President Trump's unconstitutional attack on birthright citizenship and incentivized presidential overreach. Earlier last year, Padilla cosponsored the Born in the USA Act to effectively block the implementation of Trump's unconstitutional executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship for certain children born in the United States, or a similar subsequent executive order. Padilla also opposed advancing the nomination of Attorney General Pam Bondi after she repeatedly refused to affirm that birthright citizenship is the law.

Video of Padilla's full remarks is available here.

A transcript of Padilla's remarks, as delivered, is available below:

How's everybody doing out there? Thank you all so very much for coming out on this important day to make your voices heard. Can they hear us inside? Can they hear us inside? Absolutely!

It's almost unbelievable that we even have to be here today, because as the sign says, the 14th Amendment speaks for itself. The 14th Amendment speaks for itself.

We're here to defend something that shouldn't even be up for debate. But if they want to debate, we will, and we will win.

Every once in a while, I go back to the Constitution. In case there's any questions, all you got to do is read what it says. The 14th Amendment: All persons born or naturalized in the United States are citizens of the United States. If you're born here, you are a citizen. It couldn't be more clear.

Well obviously, there's some politician who would rather have it a different way. Donald Trump and his allies want to be able to select who's a citizen and who's not. He wants to be able to pick who gets to be an American and who doesn't. He wants to decide who counts in our democracy, in our society, and who doesn't. It's wrong, it's un-American, and it's dangerous.

And yes, this is personal for me. I'm a proud citizen of the United States. And I'm a proud son of immigrants. And the moment I was born on U.S. soil, I was born a citizen.

And I'll be damned if Donald Trump tries to take that away from me. I'll be damned if he tries to take it away from anybody here.

Because what's on the line isn't just a question about citizenship. It is about upholding the Constitution. It's respecting the rule of law and keeping the promise that the 14th Amendment has held for more than 150 years. Don't just take my word for it - the courts have upheld it over and over again, and we're going to do it again once and for all.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

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