The U.S. Supreme Court vote to protect birthright citizenship in a landmark ruling was welcomed by elected officials on both sides of the aisle in Florida — although Democrats were much more vocal, with messages of cautious joy.
On Tuesday the court rejected President Donald Trump's executive order declaring that children born to people who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens.
By a 6-3 vote, the court struck down Trump's order. A bare majority of five justices, in an opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts, held that the long-settled understanding of the 14th Amendment, adopted after the Civil War, makes a citizen of anyone born in the country, with very limited exceptions. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was the sixth majority vote, said he based his decision on a federal statute rather than the Constitution.
The justices ruled on Trump's appeal of a lower-court ruling from New Hampshire that struck down his citizenship restrictions. The birthright citizenship order, which Trump signed on the first day of his second term, is part of his administration's broad immigration crackdown.
Birthright citizenship was the first Trump immigration-related policy to reach the court for a final ruling.
READ MORE: Immigrant advocates call birthright citizenship decision a win
Many officials described Trump's birthright citizenship order as politically weaponizing the Constitution to fit his immigration agenda.
Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (D-Miami Gardens) expressed her joy at the court's rejection of the order.
"This decision brings relief to countless families who have spent months fearing that one of our nation's most fundamental constitutional protections could be stripped away," said Wilson. "Birthright citizenship is not a political favor. It is a constitutional guarantee that has stood for more than 150 years and reflects our nation's enduring commitment to equal protection under the law."
Congressman Maxwell Frost (D-Orlando) described the vote as one victory in an ongoing battle.
"This decision doesn't end the effort to roll back fundamental rights," said Frost. "We'll keep fighting for an America where everyone is treated equally under the law and where our rights are protected, not selectively applied."
And while Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Weston) celebrated the ruling, she said she was still dismayed at some justices' rulings in favor of Trump's order.
"SCOTUS rejected Trump's lawless attack on birthright citizenship, but the 6-3 split is disturbing. The 14th amendment is clear and this should be a 9-0 slam dunk," Wasserman Schultz said.
On the other side of the aisle, Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Miami) said that she agreed with the decision, but added that fixing U.S. immigration policy is the responsibility of Congress, not the courts.
"I agree with the Court's decision," said Salazar on her social media. "But this ruling doesn't change another reality: our immigration laws are failing to meet today's challenges. It's Congress's job to fix our broken immigration system. That's where this debate has always belonged."
Meanwhile Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) did not comment on the decision itself, instead calling for Congress to respond to the decision and push for stricter immigration policies.
"We need to make sure illegal aliens don't come into our country and EXPLOIT our immigration system. That means closing EVERY. SINGLE. LOOPHOLE," Scott wrote on X.
At an event in The Villages, Gov. Ron DeSantis said he wasn't surprised by the decision, but added that the 14th Amendment has been abused.
"You come in against the law, have a kid, and somehow that's an American citizen as well. So I think in terms of the original understanding, they never conceived that it would end up being this way," DeSantis said, according to WFLA.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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