22 Democratic States and Civil Rights Organizations File a Lawsuit to Stop Trump’s Order on Birthright Citizenship

Civil rights organizations and 22 Democratic-led states have sued to overturn Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship.

Numerous challenges have been launched by civil rights organizations and 22 Democratic-led states to stop his contentious decision to revoke birthright citizenship.

The cases, which were filed a day after Trump’s inauguration, mark the first significant judicial battle of his presidency.

On Monday, Republican President Donald Trump signed an executive order instructing US agencies to deny US-born children citizenship if neither parent is a US citizen or lawful permanent resident.

This order tackles a key element of Trump’s larger immigration policy.

The complaints contend that Trump’s order is unconstitutional and were filed in federal courts in Boston and Seattle.

On the grounds that it violates constitutional rights, 22 states, the District of Columbia, and the city of San Francisco are attempting to prohibit the executive order.

Following Trump’s statement, lawsuits were also brought by a pregnant woman, immigration advocacy organizations, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

In a statement, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell highlighted the order’s broad ramifications.

“Over 150,000 children born in the United States each year would be denied the right to citizenship if Trump’s order were to stand,” she added.

“President Trump has no right to deny people their constitutional rights.”

According to the cases, rejecting citizenship would also prevent these people from being eligible for Medicaid and other vital federal programs, as well as from being able to vote or work lawfully once they reach voting age.

“Today’s immediate lawsuit sends a clear message to the Trump administration that we will stand up for our residents and their basic constitutional rights,” said Attorney General Matthew Platkin of New Jersey.

The legal challenges are set to continue, with other cases expected to challenge various areas of Trump’s immigration policies, even though the White House has not yet responded to calls for comment.

Three of the complaints were filed in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, although they cover a variety of geographical areas. The 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals, which is only made up of Democratic appointees, would examine any decisions made by these New England courts.

In Washington state, where the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has authority, a different lawsuit was brought.

On Thursday, arguments will be heard before US District Judge John Coughenour in Seattle over a possible temporary restraining order against the executive order.

CASA, an immigrant rights organization, and other pregnant women, including one known only as “O. Doe,” a Massachusetts woman with temporary protected status who is expecting to give birth in March, filed a fifth complaint in Maryland.

More than a million people in the United States presently possess temporary protected status (TPS), which allows individuals from nations experiencing extreme emergencies like armed conflicts or natural catastrophes to seek safety.

The legal challenges cite the United States Supreme Court’s 1898 decision in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, which upheld the right of children born in the United States to citizenship under the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment to non-citizen parents.

There are ongoing legal challenges over many aspects of Trump’s early executive moves in addition to the birthright citizenship litigation.

A Trump-signed directive that facilitates firing government employees and replacing them with administration-aligned political appointees has been challenged by the National Treasury Employees Union.