Trump Administration Sued Over Birthright Citizenship Executive Order.
A coalition of civil rights and immigration rights groups has launched a legal challenge against the Trump administration, mere hours after the signing of an executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship in the United States. The move by President Trump to abolish automatic citizenship for children born to parents who are unlawfully or temporarily in the country has sparked significant controversy, leading to this early legal confrontation.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in New Hampshire, includes the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), various state ACLU chapters, and other organisations. These groups represent members who would be directly affected by the new policy. Spanning 17 pages, the suit contends that Trump’s executive order contravenes both federal law and the U.S. Constitution.
“For Plaintiffs — organisations with members impacted by the Order — and for families across the country, this Order seeks to strip from their children the ‘priceless treasure’ of citizenship, threatening them with a lifetime of exclusion from society and fear of deportation from the only country they have ever known,” the attorneys argued in their filings.
The legal challenge asserts that the power to define citizenship lies with Congress and the Constitution, not with the president’s executive authority. “The Constitution and Congress, not President Trump, dictate who is entitled to full membership in American society,” the suit states, arguing for the unlawfulness of Trump’s action.
The executive order, signed on Monday, stipulates that the federal government will no longer “issue documents recognising United States citizenship” for children born to parents who are unlawfully in the country or those legally present but only temporarily. The order is set to take effect 30 days after its signing, applying only to those born after this period.
Some members of the immigration groups involved in the lawsuit are currently expecting children who could be impacted by these new regulations, according to the suit. The attorneys further warned that the order “may also render children legally or effectively stateless,” highlighting potential humanitarian consequences.
The groups have requested that the federal court in New Hampshire declare Trump’s order unlawful and issue both temporary and permanent injunctions to block its implementation.
This lawsuit marks the beginning of what could be a prolonged legal battle over immigration policy under the Trump administration, setting the stage for significant judicial scrutiny of executive power in defining citizenship rights.
