Judge Blocks Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Order, Citing Constitutional Violations

A federal judge on Thursday halted President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship, calling the policy unconstitutional. The measure, set to take effect February 19, would deny automatic citizenship to children born in the United States if their parents are noncitizens, including undocumented immigrants and those in the country under temporary visas. It has spurred multiple lawsuits nationwide, with opponents arguing that such a policy undermines long-standing constitutional protections.

U.S. District Judge John Coughenour, a Ronald Reagan appointee, presided over the initial hearing of a four-state lawsuit challenging the order and criticized the administration’s legal rationale. Signed on Trump’s first day back in office, the policy threatened to affect hundreds of thousands of children born each year. Attorneys general from Arizona, Illinois, Oregon, and Washington contend that the executive action violates the 14th Amendment, which has historically granted citizenship to virtually anyone born on U.S. soil—an interpretation upheld in the 1898 Supreme Court case United States v. Wong Kim Ark.

Several states and immigrant advocacy groups have filed similar lawsuits, pointing out that children could be rendered stateless if the order took effect. One case highlights a woman who has lived in the U.S. for over 15 years and fears her unborn child would be denied citizenship under the proposed rule. While supporters of the executive order claim the 14th Amendment does not apply to children of noncitizens, legal scholars counter that decades of legal precedent say otherwise. For now, the judge’s injunction suspends any implementation of the policy, but the broader legal debate is expected to continue, potentially reaching the Supreme Court.

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