A federal judge in the United States has temporarily blocked the implementation of a recently signed executive order by President Donald Trump, which aimed to end the automatic citizenship of children of illegal immigrants born in the country. The judge, John Coughenour, a Reagan appointee, ruled that the order was “flatly unconstitutional”.
The judge granted a temporary restraining order requested by the Attorney General of Washington state, Nick Brown, and three other democratic-led states, which argued that the executive order violates the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution, which guarantees citizenship to all individuals born in the United States.
The 14th Amendment states that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” Trump has argued that this applies only to those born to parents who are lawfully present in the country, citing a phrase in the amendment that refers to those “subject to the jurisdiction thereof”.
Multiple lawsuits have been filed against the executive order, including by 22 of the 50 US states, including California and New York, as well as civil rights organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). A final decision is expected in several months, with the Supreme Court likely to have the final say in the matter.