A coalition of Democratic attorneys general filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday seeking to block President Trump’s executive order aimed at eliminating it birthright citizenship.
Trump invoked presidential powers to begin his long-promised task suppression of immigration shortly after taking office on Monday. Are executive actions included an order directing the federal government to stop issuing passports, citizenship certificates and other documents to many children born in the U.S. whose mothers are in the country illegally, or whose parents do not have a legal has a permanent residence permit.
The lawsuit by the 18 states, filed in federal court in Massachusetts, alleges that Mr. Trump’s initiative violates the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which the federal government has long interpreted as meaning that those who travel to U.S. are born on the soil, are citizens at birth. The cities of San Francisco and Washington DC also joined the lawsuit.
“The great promise of our nation is that everyone born here is a citizen of the United States and able to achieve the American dream,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement to CBS News. “This fundamental birthright right, rooted in the 14th Amendment and born from the ashes of slavery, is a cornerstone of our nation’s commitment to justice.”
The lawsuit seeks a preliminary injunction to halt the execution of the executive order and ultimately declare it invalid. The states that have joined the lawsuit are: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin.
The first sentence of the 14th Amendment reads: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States, and of the State wherein they reside.”
Mr. Trump directed that his order be implemented within 30 days. It was challenged shortly after it was enacted, when the American Civil Liberties Union and other advocacy groups filed a separate lawsuit to thwart it.