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Trump’s attack on birthright citizenship is taking us back to the 1800s

27 0
02.04.2026

Wong Kim Ark, pictured 1904. His 1898 Supreme Court case established the legal precedent for birthright citizenship.

Wong Kim Ark’s fight for citizenship is before the Supreme Court again.

Opening arguments started on Wednesday in a Supreme Court case over President Donald Trump’s attempt to restrict birthright citizenship, the right Wong fought for and won.

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Until Trump attacked birthright citizenship, most people had probably never heard of Wong, the Chinese San Francisco native whose 1898 Supreme Court case established the legal precedent for birthright citizenship.

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In the late 1800s, anti-Chinese sentiment was high in the U.S., fueled by an economic downturn. The xenophobic scapegoating led to the enactment of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which barred Chinese laborers from entering the country and Chinese immigrants from becoming citizens.

In 1895, Wong returned to........

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