Why the US supreme court’s birthright ruling brings only partial relief

The brief

For Monica, one of the immigrant mothers at the heart of the legal battle over birthright citizenship, the supreme court’s decision on Tuesday upholding the constitutional right passed through her like a cool, deep breath. The court affirmed that her son is, unequivocally, a US citizen. “I feel relief,” she said over the phone Tuesday morning. “He has a future.” But there are still no guarantees for her and her husband, both asylum seekers from Venezuela. “In this country, we remain uncertain – especially given everything immigrants are facing now,” she says. Parents, legal scholars and immigrant rights advocates around the country are feeling these same mixed emotions. There is…