Synopsis
A federal judge in Maryland has issued an indefinite block on President Trump's executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship for undocumented immigrants and temporary visa holders. This ruling follows legal challenges from civil rights groups and Democratic-led states.Key Takeaways
- Judge Deborah L. Boardman issued a preliminary injunction against Trump's order.
- The ruling applies nationwide.
- Over 20 states and civil rights groups have filed lawsuits.
- The order was signed shortly after Trump took office on January 20.
- The 14th Amendment is at the center of the legal dispute.
Washington, Feb 6 (NationPress) A federal judge in Maryland has indefinitely blocked US President Donald Trump's executive order aimed at terminating birthright citizenship for undocumented immigrants and foreign visitors holding temporary visas.
Judge Deborah L. Boardman from the United States District Court for the District of Maryland issued a preliminary injunction on Wednesday following a court hearing in Greenbelt, Maryland, stemming from a lawsuit filed by civil rights organizations that sought to challenge Trump's order.
This injunction holds nationwide relevance, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
According to The Washington Post, the Maryland case is one of at least six federal lawsuits initiated against Trump's order by a coalition of 22 Democratic-led states along with several civil rights organizations.
Trump enacted the order shortly after assuming office on January 20, which instructed federal agencies to cease recognizing citizenship for children born after February 19 if neither parent holds US citizenship or permanent residency.
In response, more than 20 states and civil rights groups promptly filed legal actions contesting the order, labeling it overtly unconstitutional.
On January 23, Senior US District Judge John Coughenour, located in Seattle, Washington, temporarily suspended Trump's executive order for at least 14 days while ongoing lawsuits in Washington state and other jurisdictions unfolded.
The 14th Amendment asserts that "all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States."
Trump's executive order contended that the 14th Amendment "has always" excluded from birthright citizenship individuals born in the United States but not "subject to the jurisdiction thereof."
The rationale behind Trump's order was based on the assertion that individuals present in the United States illegally, or on a visa, were not "subject to the jurisdiction" of the country, thereby excluding them from citizenship.
Opponents argue that the 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868 during the US's post-Civil War recovery, has been established law for over a century.
They reference an 1898 US Supreme Court decision regarding Wong Kim Ark, a Chinese-American man who was denied re-entry to the United States due to his non-citizen status. The court confirmed that children born in the United States, including those with immigrant parents, could not be denied citizenship.
