Governor calls Supreme Court birthright-citizenship ruling a 'tough' loss, says he will review opinion

The governor addressed what he described as a recent Supreme Court decision upholding birthright citizenship for children born in the United States — including to parents who are unlawfully present — calling the outcome a "complete loss" based on his preliminary review of the opinion.

He told the audience he had not read the full opinion but that his initial understanding was the Court’s holding affirmed birthright citizenship and that any change would require a constitutional amendment unless Congress can legislate a different rule. "If they said that there's nothing you can do short of constitutional amendment to limit [birthright citizenship], then that's going to be a really devastating decision," he said.

The governor said he will review the opinion to determine whether Congress retains a path to alter the rule and said the ruling underscores the need for stronger border and immigration controls to prevent abuses he described as "birth tourism." He also noted that he had anticipated the outcome based on the oral arguments and suggested the decision will raise further policy debates and potential legislative responses.