Phoenix, AZ – Today, the Hobbs administration announced agencies will file declarations in a legal challenge to the attempt to end birthright citizenship. The declarations, from the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) and the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), outlined the harm to Arizona and administrative chaos that would result from the end of birthright citizenship.
“Ending birthright citizenship is unconstitutional and un-American. We should protect what makes our country exceptional, not tear it down,” said Governor Katie Hobbs. “And it would cause chaos in our state government, making it harder for our state to deliver the critical services that Arizonans rely on and burden Arizona taxpayers with increased costs. We should take common sense steps to secure our border and protect our communities, but ending birthright citizenship will not do that. I urge the president to reconsider a policy that attacks our country’s ideals and does not secure our border.”
The declarations establish Arizona’s standing in lawsuits defending birthright citizenship. The declarations outline harms to Arizona and administrative and financial burdens that would result from ending birthright citizenship, including a reduction in federal funding, millions in direct costs to taxpayers, and significantly higher expenses through uncompensated non-emergent, and emergency, services provided by hospitals throughout Arizona.
Read the declaration from ADHS here.
Read the declaration from AHCCCS here.
Read the complaint here. ### | 