Trump suffers another setback over ending 'Birthright Citizenship'
Photo Reuters.
A US court has again blocked an initiative taken by President Donald Trump to limit birthright citizenship in the United States. The Trump administration issued a new executive order aimed at restricting the right to birthright citizenship for children of immigrants.
On Wednesday local time, US District Judge Deborah Boardman in Greenbelt, Maryland, issued a preliminary injunction in the case. She issued the order following a petition filed by advocates working for the rights of immigrants.
The judge said the Supreme Court had already ruled that children covered by a class action lawsuit are US citizens by birth. Therefore, the relevant government agencies cannot deny citizenship to people covered by that case.
Trump’s latest initiative came after his previous attempt to restrict birthright citizenship was blocked by the courts. On June 30, the US Supreme Court overturned a lower court order that had blocked the implementation of Trump’s earlier executive order.
That order sought to restrict birthright citizenship for children whose parents are neither US citizens nor lawful permanent residents, or green card holders.
However, the Supreme Court’s ruling did not directly uphold the constitutional validity of the Trump administration’s measure. The court addressed the citizenship provision of the 14th Amendment, which provides citizenship to people born in the United States who are “subject to the jurisdiction” of the country.
This constitutional provision was a key issue in the Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling in the case of Barbara v. Trump.
After that, on August 6, Trump signed a new executive order. This time, it primarily targeted “birth tourism,” or travel to the United States for the purpose of giving birth.
Under the new order, parents of a child born in the United States would have been required to submit proof of their citizenship or lawful permanent residency when applying for the child’s passport.
However, on Wednesday, the court also blocked the implementation of the Trump administration’s latest measure.
