United States of America (USA) President, Donald Trump
A coalition of Democratic-led states and civil rights groups filed multiple lawsuits on Tuesday to challenge President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship. This marks the first major legal confrontation of his administration.
After his inauguration on Monday, Trump issued a directive instructing U.S. agencies to deny citizenship to children born in the U.S. if neither of their parents is a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident.
A total of 22 states, along with the District of Columbia and San Francisco, filed two lawsuits in federal courts in Boston and Seattle, arguing that the executive order violates the U.S. Constitution.
The American Civil Liberties Union, immigrant organizations, and an expectant mother also filed two similar cases shortly after Trump signed the order.
The lawsuits challenge a central element of Trump’s immigration crackdown. If upheld, the order would strip more than 150,000 children born annually in the U.S. of their citizenship, according to Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell.
“President Trump does not have the authority to take away constitutional rights,” Campbell said.
The states argue that losing citizenship would prevent these children from accessing federal programs like Medicaid, as well as from legally working or voting in the future.
“Today’s immediate lawsuit sends a clear message to the Trump administration that we will stand up for our residents and their basic constitutional rights,” said New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin.
