A federal judge on Wednesday, February 5, issued a ruling blocking President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at restricting birthright citizenship in the United States.
The ruling prevents the order from taking effect nationwide, halting it indefinitely. The executive order, which was scheduled to go into effect on February 19, would have denied citizenship to children born in the U.S. to non-citizen parents, including those in the country illegally or on temporary visas.
District Judge Deborah Boardman, who issued the ruling, stated that denying birthright citizenship would cause irreparable harm.
She also emphasized that Supreme Court precedent supports the right to citizenship for those born on U.S. soil, referencing the 14th Amendment.
“The denial of the precious right to citizenship will cause irreparable harm,” Judge Boardman said.
“No court in the country has ever endorsed the president’s interpretation. This court will not be the first.”
This decision follows a similar one in January by a federal judge in Washington state, who issued a 14-day stay on Trump’s order.
Judge John Coughenour had described the measure as “blatantly unconstitutional,” prompting President Trump to announce plans to appeal.
The legal challenge centers around the interpretation of the 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, which guarantees citizenship to anyone born in the U.S.
Despite the Trump administration’s assertion that children of undocumented immigrants or those on temporary visas should not receive birthright citizenship, opponents of the order argue that the 1898 Supreme Court ruling in the case of Wong Kim Ark clearly affirmed birthright citizenship for all individuals born on U.S. soil, including children of immigrants.