Padma Lakshmi's New York Times op-ed argues the Supreme Court's upcoming hearing on President Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship threatens to create a permanent underclass. Lakshmi, host of culinary shows and author, draws from her own immigrant family's experience and work documenting diverse American cuisines. She contends the order, which would deny citizenship to children born in the US to non-citizen parents, fundamentally contradicts American values and cultural identity.

The piece emphasizes how birthright citizenship provides certainty, driving immigrant investment in communities and innovation, leading to uniquely American traditions. Lakshmi's work highlights how immigrant contributions, from suya spice to Peruvian ceviche, define the nation's food culture. Ending this guarantee, she warns, would spawn legal chaos, discrimination, and a generation of stateless individuals, undermining the country's economic and social fabric.