Winner
Ayesha Afghan, 16, from Niskayuna, N.Y., responded to a June 27 article from the U.S. section headlined “In Birthright Citizenship Case, Supreme Court Limits Power of Judges to Block Trump Policies,” and wrote:
My parents are legal immigrants, but growing up in Queens, that didn’t mean much. Everyone around us was “illegal” in some way — overstayed visas, expired documents, and sometimes, no papers at all. Their kids ran through sprinklers, lined up for lunch, knew no other country but this one. I’ve always known the only thing separating me from them were government stamps and a manila folder full of paperwork.
Reading about the Supreme Court limiting nationwide injunctions — allowing Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship to take effect in most states — felt terrifying. This isn’t just a policy debate. It’s a direct threat to the lives of children like the ones I grew up with.
Children who didn’t choose where they were born, or who their parents are. Children who couldn’t tug on their umbilical cord and ask to be delivered “legally.” Children that are welcomed by the Constitution and somehow shunned by the state.
It doesn’t make sense.
The article explains how this ruling could create a “patchwork system” across states, meaning your ZIP code might decide if you’re a citizen. That’s not democracy. That’s roulette. We call it birthright for a reason. Not privilege. Not permission. Right. When courts stay silent and power moves unchecked, that right turns into a lottery. And the kids I grew up with — the ones who call this country home just like you and I — are the ones left losing.
Editor’s note: On July 10, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from enforcing its executive order ending birthright citizenship after certifying a lawsuit as a class action, effectively the only way he could impose such a far-reaching limit after the Supreme Court ruling last month.
Runners-Up
In alphabetical order by the writer’s first name.
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Chloe L. on “I Let My Parents Down to Set Myself Free”
Emma L. on “When Novels Mattered”
Grace C. on “Tate-Pilled Boys Are a Problem for Schools”
Helen Z. on “Are We Really Willing to Become Dumber?”
Jessie L. on “The Last Words of a Dying Glacier”
Krupa P. on “Finding Beauty in Fake Flowers”
Kylie Zhang on “Each Person Has a Unique ‘Breath Print,’ Scientists Find”
Leo C. on “As Trump and Kennedy Reach Into Family Life, Will They Face Blowback?”
Lila K. on “Where Kids Put Down Their Phones and Pick Up the Correct Fork”
Matthew on “The Things Only English Can Say”
Mehar A. on “The Prada Sandal That Led to Cries of Cultural Theft in India”
Minwoo Kim on “Umbrellas Optional? East Asia’s Monsoon Rains Are No Longer a Sure Thing”
Yuki W. on “The Best Relationship Advice We’ve Heard So Far This Year”
Yun A. on “Finding Beauty in Fake Flowers”
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Honorable Mentions
Adrian L. on “I Let My Parents Down to Set Myself Free”
Aleksandra A. on “Finding Beauty in Fake Flowers”
Anfeng X. on “Carney’s ‘Build, Baby, Build’ Faces Pushback From Indigenous Groups”
Anika Khedekar on “The Creativity Challenge: Day 3: Master the Art of Daydreaming”
Anna X. on “The Summer Job, a Rite of Passage for Teens, May Be Fading Away”
Aritro C. on “Justices Let Parents Opt Children Out of Classes With L.G.B.T.Q. Storybooks”
Bennett H. on “Georgia Man Sentenced to 475 Years for Dogfighting”
Bokeun Seo on “T.S.A. Officially Tells Fliers They Can Keep Their Shoes On”
Caden Z. on “What Makes Someone Cool? A New Study Offers Clues.”
Cayden S. “Kids Are in Crisis. Could Chatbot Therapy Help?”
Charlotte N. on “The Best Relationship Advice We’ve Heard So Far This Year”
Claire K. on “The Joy of Swimming with Strangers”
Cynthia L. on “Finding Beauty in Fake Flowers”
Ethan L. on “Scenes From Deadly Disaster in Central Texas”
HeeSoo C. on “What Makes Someone Cool? A New Study Offers Clues.”
Ilanna B. on “In Birthright Citizenship Case, Supreme Court Limits Power of Judges to Block Trump Policies”
Isabella W. on “Here Is the Science of Why You Doomscroll”
Jieni T. on “Finding Beauty in Fake Flowers”
Lalie Lours on “Love Letters”
Linny S. on “Cézanne and the Hard Facts of Time”
Max Hung Nguyen on “We Don’t Have to Give In to the Smartphones”
Milly X. on “A.I. Videos Have Never Been Better. Can You Tell What’s Real?”
Mobina B. on “Israel-Iran Conflict”
Muai L. on “What Reading 5,000 Pages About a Single Family Taught Me About America”
Nathanial M. on “There’s a Race to Power the Future. China Is Pulling Away.”
Nina P. on “Oasis Reunites, Its Songs Still Stomping and Wounds Still Healing”
Olivia L. on “Florida Builds ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Detention Center for Migrants in Everglades”
Rickey Z. on “Jacques Pépin: History Is Culinary”
Rachel Chen on “Can We See Our Future in China’s Cameras?”
Sarah Ren on “What Makes Someone Cool? A New Study Offers Clues.”
Sean Feng on “We Cannot Escape History”
Seoyeon K. on “2 Firefighters Killed in Idaho Sniper Ambush”
Vivian M. on “Finding Beauty in Fake Flowers”
Ziqiao Z. on “Illness Took My Mother’s Independence, but It Gave Us Something Precious”
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