CHICAGO — Following several U.S. Supreme Court rulings on June 27, which expose a concerning shift toward authoritarianism, State Senator Graciela Guzmán is speaking out against the decisions and raising alarm around their restrictions of civil rights.

“I am horrified the Supreme Court has emboldened the federal administration’s efforts to further undermine and dehumanize immigrant families in our country through their most recent ruling on Trump v. CASA,” said Guzmán  (D-Chicago). “America is a melting pot of so many diverse, beautiful cultures. It goes against our history, our fundamental values and long standing statutes to withhold the right to citizenship — which is guaranteed in our Constitution — simply because of the identity of a child’s parents.”

Despite being an established right in the U.S. for centuries under the 14th Amendment,  the Supreme Court upheld the executive order withholding the right of birthright citizenship from children born in the U.S. to individuals on short-term visas or without legal status in the case of Trump v. CASA. 

“The Court’s refusal to take a stand against the federal administration leaves the future of birthright citizenship up in the air and opens the doors to different interpretations among states. Not only is it heartbreaking to imagine a reality in which immigrant families could have fewer civil rights depending on which state’s borders they reside in, it is nonsensical,” said  Guzmán. “Maintaining a state-by-state approach to citizenship would cause significant bureaucratic issues that would make navigating everyday systems like health care and license registration a nightmare for all involved. It would also mark one of the largest rollbacks in civil rights protections in our country’s history — a detrimental outcome for both the people it will impact and the morality of this nation.”

Additionally, the Supreme Court ruled that schools must give children the chance to leave the room if their teacher plans to read books out loud that feature gay and transgender characters in the case of Mahmoud v. Taylor. As an  outspoken leader for LGBTQIA+ rights in Illinois, Guzmán is deeply saddened by this decision, and concerned for what it means for LGBTQIA+ youth around the country.

“Under the guise of protecting children, LGBTQIA+ youth will be even more at risk for bullying, which can lead to mental health struggles, and even suicide if they are able to be barred from hearing stories about LGBTQIA+ people in their developmental years because of their family’s prejudice,” said Guzmán. “My heart breaks for the children around our country who will find their light stifled by this ruling. To all the LGBTIQA+ youth in my community, my district, my state, and this nation–your identity is nothing to be ashamed of or censored, and I will continue to fight for more protections for you in the face of these attacks.”

“Make no mistake–these decisions are a further horrific slide toward an authoritarian state,” continued Guzmán. “Allowing students to be restricted from educational materials because they feature people of diverse sexual orientations or gender identities is deeply concerning and dangerous for both today’s youth,  and our democracy as a whole. Educational materials should not be censored, and groups of individuals should not be labeled by government bodies as dangerous or amoral. Historically, these actions are only the beginning of great suffering for those most marginalized, and I refuse to allow that to happen to my neighbors.” 

“We cannot pick and choose who we treat with dignity, from who we allow to have birthright citizenship and whose stories we deem acceptable to tell to our children,” said Guzmán. “I vow to continue fighting against these unconstitutional actions, and thank the allies in the state legislature for standing against the dangerous steps the federal administration has taken to instill fear and division in our communities.”