Trump’s Birthright Order Halted Again

Aakhir Tak – In Shorts

A judge in Maryland has blocked US President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship. This marks the second federal judge to halt the policy. Judge Deborah Boardman sided with immigrant rights groups and pregnant women challenging the order. She argued that children could be unconstitutionally denied citizenship based on parents’ immigration status. The injunction prevents Trump’s order from taking effect nationwide on February 19.

Aakhir Tak – In Depth

A federal judge in Maryland on Wednesday became the second one nationally to block Donald Trump’s administration from implementing the Republican president’s executive order aimed at curtailing birthright citizenship in the United States. This order represents a key part of Donald Trump’s immigration policy.

US District Judge Deborah Boardman in Greenbelt sided with two immigrant rights groups and five pregnant women who argued that their children were at risk of being unconstitutionally denied US citizenship based on their parents’ immigration status. The judge, an appointee of Trump’s Democratic predecessor Joe Biden, issued a nationwide preliminary injunction blocking Trump’s order from going into effect nationwide as planned on February 19.

“Today, virtually every baby born on US soil is a US citizen upon birth,” Boardman said. “That is the law and tradition of our country. That law and tradition are and will remain the status quo pending the resolution of this case.” The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees birthright citizenship.

Boardman’s order provided longer-term relief to opponents of Trump’s policy than an earlier, 14-day pause imposed on January 23 by a Seattle-based federal judge. That judge, John Coughenour, called Trump’s order “blatantly unconstitutional.” Coughenour is set on Thursday to consider whether to likewise issue a preliminary injunction that would remain in effect pending the resolution of the litigation. This highlights the legal complexities surrounding immigration law.

Trump’s executive order, signed on his first day back in office on January 20, directed US agencies to refuse to recognise the citizenship of children born in the United States if neither their mother nor father is a US citizen or lawful permanent resident. Lawyers for the immigrant rights groups CASA and the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project argued that Trump’s order violated the right enshrined in the citizenship clause of the US Constitution’s 14th Amendment that provides that anyone born in the United States is a citizen.

Their lawsuit is one of at least eight filed around the United States by Democratic state attorneys general, immigrants’ rights advocates and expectant mothers challenging Trump’s order. The legal battle over birthright citizenship continues to unfold.

Aakhir Tak – Key Takeaways to Remember

• A judge in Maryland blocked Donald Trump’s order ending birthright citizenship.
• Judge Deborah Boardman sided with immigrant rights groups.
• The injunction prevents the order from taking effect on February 19.
• The judge was appointed by Joe Biden.

Aakhir Tak Editor-in-Chief

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