Federal Judge Halts Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order

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A federal judge has temporarily blocked an executive order issued by former President Donald Trump that aimed to end birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to noncitizen parents. The order was set to take effect on February 19, 2025.

US District Judge John C. Coughenour ruled in favor of several states including Washington, Arizona, Illinois, and Oregon, who had filed a lawsuit arguing that the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution guarantees citizenship to anyone born on American soil, regardless of their parents' immigration status. This ruling is part of a larger legal battle involving 22 states and various immigrant rights groups, with testimonies from attorneys general who emphasize the personal and societal impacts of the order.

The executive order, signed on Trump’s Inauguration Day, could have potentially affected hundreds of thousands of births in the US, as over 255,000 children were born to mothers without legal status in 2022 alone. Legal challenges to the order argue that the long-standing interpretation of the 14th Amendment has been clear for over a century: all individuals born in the US are citizens.

Advocates for immigrants’ rights express concern that the order would create significant harm for families, denying children their rights to citizenship and full membership in American society. The case raises fundamental questions about the future of immigration policy and birthright citizenship in the United States.

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