Trump’s order halted by Judge John Coughenour in Seattle
US President Donald Trump signs numerous executive orders,on the first day of his presidency in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 20 January 2025. EFE/EPA/JIM LO SCALZO / POOL

Trump’s order halted by Judge John Coughenour in Seattle

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Washington, Jan 23 (EFE).-

A federal judge temporarily blocked on Thursday President Donald Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to undocumented immigrants or those with temporary visas.

Judge John Coughenour in Seattle granted a request by the attorney general of Washington state and three other Democratic-led states for an emergency injunction halting the policy for 14 days pending further briefing in the legal challenge.

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“I have been on the bench for more than four decades. I don’t recall another case where the case presented is as clear as this one. This is a manifestly unconstitutional order,” said Coughenour, nominated for the post in 1981 by former President Ronald Reagan (1981-1989).

“I am having trouble understanding how a member of the bar could state unequivocally that this order is constitutional,” the judge also said to a US Justice Department lawyer defending Trump’s order.

On Tuesday, 22 states with Democratic governments filed suit against Trump’s attempt to end that right.

The 14th Amendment of the US Constitution states that anyone born on US soil is automatically granted citizenship, regardless of the immigration status of their parents.

Trump’s executive order, which he signed hours after taking office on Monday, states that babies born in the US to undocumented parents or with temporary legal status, such as a work visa, will not be able to obtain citizenship.

In practice, ending birthright citizenship would prevent the State Department from issuing passports to these children and the Social Security Administration from recognizing them as citizens, making it difficult for them to access basic rights and work legally in the country.

Ending birthright citizenship has been a recurring demand of conservative groups. Trump had threatened to revoke it through an executive order during his first term (2017-2021).

The most direct way to redefine birthright citizenship would be to propose a constitutional amendment, which requires a two-thirds majority in the House and Senate and ratification by three-fourths of the states, as historian Scott Bomboy recently explained in an analysis published by the National Constitution Center. EFE

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