Constitutional Accountability Center Constitutional Accountability Center

Immigration and Citizenship

Using the Constitution’s text and history to protect the constitutional rights of American citizens and immigrants
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Eastern European Jewish war orphans arrive in the United States | American Jewish Joint Distribution Center

Summary

The Fourteenth Amendment’s Citizenship Clause is one of the most important provisions of the Constitution, guaranteeing birthright citizenship. CAC uses this and other constitutional provisions, along with federal statutes, to ensure that the rights of all are secured.

Immigration and Citizenship in Brief

Naturalization ceremony in Atlanta, GA | David Lienemann, White House Archives

The Trump administration, through its Muslim travel ban, has shown a disregard for the Constitution and a willingness to write discrimination into our laws. CAC, in these cases and elsewhere, fights to ensure that such attacks do not succeed.

Featured Case

Immigration and Citizenship October 27, 2021

Miranda v. Garland

Marvin Dubon Miranda has lived in the United States for more than ten years. In 2019, the government took him into custody and initiated deportation proceedings against him. Although the immigration laws allow people in Miranda’s position to be released on bond while their cases proceed, the immigration judge who conducted Miranda’s bond hearing—following executive branch policy—placed the burden on Miranda to demonstrate that he would not be a flight risk or a danger to the community if released. Under this standard, the government does not need to justify its continued detention of people in deportation proceedings by showing that the...

Case Timeline

Current
  • The Fourth Circuit will hear oral argument
  • CAC files amicus curiae brief

Related Issue Areas

Civil and Human Rights See More
Criminal Justice See More