Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump’s order to end birthright citizenship

A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s Executive Order that seeks to end U.S. birthright citizenship for children born to undocumented immigrants.

U.S. District Judge John Coughenour of Seattle issued a 14-day restraining order on Thursday, temporarily halting the implementation of Trump’s Executive Order. The case was brought by the states of Washington, Oregon, Illinois, and Arizona.

Thursday’s ruling stated that the plaintiff states “face irreparable injury as a result of the signing and implementation of the Executive Order.” The four plaintiff states are among a total of 22 states that have filed lawsuits to stop Trump’s order.

“The Order harms the Plaintiff States directly by forcing state agencies to lose federal funding and incur substantial costs to provide essential and legally required medical care and social services to resident children subject to the Order,” the ruling said. “Plaintiff States’ residents are also irreparably harmed by depriving them of their constitutional rights to citizenship and all the associated rights and benefits.”

The conclusion of the ruling stated, “If Plaintiffs cannot treat birthright citizens, as precisely that, citizens, then they will lose out on federal funds for which they are otherwise currently eligible.” It also noted that “there is a strong likelihood that Plaintiffs will succeed on the merits of their claims that the Executive Order violates the Fourteenth Amendment and the Immigration and Nationality Act.”

Judge Coughenour, a Ronald Reagan appointee with more than 40 years of judicial experience, remarked in court, “This is a blatantly unconstitutional order,” according to NBC News. He added that he could not recall a case so clear-cut.

On his first day in office, President Trump signed Executive Order 14156, titled “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship,” which aims to end birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to non-citizen parents. The order specifically targets children whose mothers were unlawfully present in the U.S. or held temporary status, such as student, work, or tourist visas, at the time of birth.

The order challenges the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which grants citizenship to all individuals born on U.S. soil. This move has sparked legal challenges from states, civil rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and individuals.