Federal Judge Blocks Trump Order Banning Birthright Citizenship

A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order denying U.S. citizenship to the children of parents living in the country illegally, calling it “blatantly unconstitutional” during the first hearing in a multi-state effort challenging the order, Mike Catalini and Gene Johnson reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Trump’s order would deny citizenship to those born after Feb. 19 whose parents are in the country illegally.

The 14th Amendment to the Constitution grants citizenship to those born on U.S. soil, a measure ratified in 1868 to ensure citizenship for former slaves after the Civil War. To curb immigration, Trump issued the executive order just after being sworn in for his second term.

“I’ve been on the bench for over four decades. I can’t remember another case where the question presented was as clear as this one is,” U.S. District Judge John Coughenour told a Justice Department attorney.

“This is a blatantly unconstitutional order.” The decision prevents the Trump administration from taking steps to implement the executive order for 14 days. In the meantime, the parties will submit further arguments about the merits of Trump’s order.

Coughenour scheduled a hearing on Feb. 6 to decide whether to block it long-term as the case proceeds.

Trump’s order would deny citizenship to those born after Feb. 19 whose parents are in the country illegally. It also forbids U.S. agencies from issuing any documents or accepting any state documents recognizing citizenship for such children.