Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order Declared Unconstitutional

Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order Declared Unconstitutional

A second U.S. appeals court has ruled against President Donald Trump's attempt to limit birthright citizenship, marking another setback for his immigration policy. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld previous injunctions from Democratic-led states and immigrant rights groups that blocked Trump's executive order from being enforced across the country.

The court's decision, delivered by a three-judge panel, emphasized that Trump's order violated the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees citizenship to anyone born in the United States. U.S. Circuit Judge David Barron stated, "It is not, which may explain why it has been more than a century since a branch of our government has made as concerted an effort as the Executive Branch now makes to deny Americans their birthright."

Trump's order, issued on January 20, aimed to deny citizenship to U.S.-born children if neither parent is a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident. The ruling followed earlier decisions by U.S. District Judges Leo Sorokin and Joseph Laplante, who had also blocked the implementation of the order.

In July, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals similarly upheld a nationwide injunction against Trump's order, citing violations of the citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment. The Trump administration has since requested the U.S. Supreme Court to review this case and another related matter. If the Supreme Court agrees to hear the appeal, it would be the second time this issue is brought before them.

Previously, the Supreme Court had limited the ability of judges to issue nationwide injunctions against Trump's policies but did not address the constitutionality of the birthright citizenship order. Despite this, lower courts have continued to block the order, with judges like Sorokin and Laplante reaffirming their decisions to halt the policy on a national scale. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson expressed confidence, stating, "We look forward to being vindicated by the Supreme Court."