A federal judge has halted the enforcement of former President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at restricting birthright citizenship in the United States. This ruling, issued on Wednesday, indefinitely blocks one of Trump’s most controversial policies, which was set to take effect on February 19.
District Judge Deborah Boardman emphasized that denying birthright citizenship would cause irreparable harm and highlighted that Supreme Court precedent supports the right of citizenship for individuals born on U.S. soil. She noted that Trump’s order contradicts the clear language of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to anyone born in the country.
Boardman asserted, “The denial of the precious right to citizenship will cause irreparable harm. No court in the country has ever endorsed the president’s interpretation. This court will not be the first.”
This ruling follows a similar decision by a Washington state federal judge who issued a 14-day stay on the order in January, deeming it “blatantly unconstitutional.” Trump has expressed his intention to appeal such decisions.
The legal challenge revolves around the 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, which grants citizenship to all born in the U.S. Trump’s executive order claimed that individuals in the country illegally or on temporary visas were not under U.S. jurisdiction and thus not entitled to citizenship. Opponents have referenced the 1898 Supreme Court ruling in the case of Wong Kim Ark, affirming that birthright citizenship extends to children of immigrants.
