I will continue to work with my colleagues to defend the statutory protections in place for the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Continue working with colleagues to defend statutory birthright citizenship protections for the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Occurrences
Evidence
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The Supreme Court docket records that a brief by current and former elected officials from the territories was filed on February 26, 2026. The brief says amici from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa reject unilateral denial of citizenship to those born under U.S. sovereignty and jurisdiction; its appendix lists Stacey E. Plaskett as the first amicus.
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Plaskett stated that people born in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands are recognized as citizens under current federal statutes and that this remained unchanged by the August 6, 2026 executive orders. She also said her office joined amicus briefs to protect territorial birthright citizenship and that she would continue working with colleagues to defend those statutory protections.
Assessments
The promise was framed as an ongoing federal-office commitment to work with colleagues to defend existing statutory birthright citizenship protections for the territories, not as a pledge to enact a new statute. During the same term, Plaskett materially advanced that defense by joining a Supreme Court amicus brief with territorial officials and publicly reaffirming that the statutory protections for people born in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands remained in force after the August 6, 2026 executive orders. Because the promised conduct was continued defense and collaboration, the available evidence supports fulfillment, even though the broader legal and political issue remains ongoing.