Key facts
- A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking a Trump administration executive order.
- The order aimed to limit birthright citizenship for children of parents not U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents.
A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from enforcing a new executive order that aimed to limit birthright citizenship for children of parents not U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents. The order targeted 'birth tourism' and children of parents working for foreign governments.
The ruling prevents the Trump administration from altering the long-standing interpretation of birthright citizenship, a core tenet of U.S. law, and highlights ongoing legal battles over immigration policy.
U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman in Greenbelt, Maryland, issued a preliminary injunction on Wednesday, blocking the Trump administration from enforcing a new executive order that sought to limit birthright citizenship. The order, signed by President Donald Trump on August 6, specifically targeted 'birth tourism' and children whose parents were not U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents, including those working for foreign governments or engaged in fraud.
Immigrant rights advocates, including CASA and Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, had requested the injunction, arguing the new order violated the 14th Amendment's citizenship clause. They had previously convinced Boardman to block an earlier, broader executive order from the Trump administration on the same issue. Justice Department attorneys argued that the latest order was more narrowly tailored and that the lawsuit was premature, as federal agencies had yet to issue public guidance on its implementation, expected by September 5.
Judge Boardman, an appointee of President Joe Biden, had previously expressed skepticism about the order, calling it 'unprecedented,' and allowed the plaintiffs to revise their lawsuit before issuing the injunction.