FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 26, 2026
Media contact: Ashley Elstad, aelstad@hamkaecenter.org
Fairfax, VA — Hamkae Center applauds Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones for filing an amicus brief – alongside Washington DC, San Francisco, and 22 other states – before the United States Supreme Court in Trump v. Barbara, strongly defending birthright citizenship and the constitutional rights of immigrant communities.
The amicus brief urges the Court to uphold the 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause, a foundational guarantee that ensures all children born in the United States are recognized as citizens, regardless of their parents’ immigration status. This principle has been a cornerstone of American democracy for over 125 years since it was first affirmed in the landmark Supreme Court case United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898).
“We are thrilled that Attorney General Jones is strongly supporting birthright citizenship,” said Ashley Elstad, Advocacy Manager at Hamkae Center. “Over 125 years ago, a landmark case was brought by Chinese American, Wong Kim Ark, who was born in the United States but was detained when he sought to re-enter the country after traveling abroad to visit family. 128 years later, immigrants are still being lawfully detained and facing inhumane conditions. From Muslim Bans to ICE kidnappings, our elected leaders must take steps to protect BIPOC and immigrant communities from systematic oppression. As an Asian American organization empowering our community in Virginia, we thank Attorney General Jones for his leadership for Asian Americans and all immigrants.”
The case comes at a critical moment, as immigrant communities across the country continue to face heightened enforcement, surveillance, family separation, and detention. Challenges to birthright citizenship threaten to destabilize families, undermine constitutional protections, and perpetuate systemic oppression that disproportionately harms communities of color.
Hamkae Center remains committed to advancing racial justice, immigrant rights, and collective liberation through civic engagement, leadership development, and advocacy. We stand in solidarity with all immigrant communities and call on our community leaders at all levels of government to defend constitutional protections and uphold the humanity of all people.
For more information about Hamkae Center and its advocacy work, visit hamkaecenter.org.
Founded in 1994, the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC)’s mission is to organize Korean and Asian Americans to achieve social, economic, and racial justice. The NAKASEC Network is HANA Center (Illinois), Hamkae Center (Virginia), Woori Center (Pennsylvania), MinKwon Center for Community Action (New York & New Jersey), and Woori Juntos (Texas).
Hamkae Center is a community-based organization with a mission to organize Asian Americans in Virginia to achieve social, economic, and racial justice. Alongside its community members, Hamkae Center works to build a future in which low- and middle-income, immigrant, people of color, and all marginalized communities can fully participate in U.S. society and work together as makers of lasting change.
