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A federal judge has blocked Donald Trump’s executive order that denies U.S. citizenship to domestically born children of illegal immigrants, dealing a major blow to the immigration crackdown that is a top priority of his second presidency.
John Coughenour, a U.S. district judge in Washington state, on Thursday called the policy “patently unconstitutional,” issuing a temporary restraining order ending the president’s ban, according to media reports.
The decision follows a lawsuit filed Tuesday by four Democratic attorneys general led by Washington state — one of several legal challenges that were quickly filed against the order that Asset signed Monday, just hours after he was sworn in as president.
Coughenour’s decision marks the first legal setback for the Trump administration, just three days after returning to the White House. The wave of executive orders signed by the president, many of which focused on immigration – kicked off what promises to be fierce and drawn-out legal battles.
Other Democratic attorneys general as well as civil rights groups filed separate lawsuits this week to strike down the birthright ban, all alleging similar violations of the Fourteenth Amendment, which states that all “persons born or naturalized in the United States…”. . . are citizens of the United States.
The Washington Attorney General’s Office said: “If allowed, this unconstitutional and un-American order would cause thousands of newborns and children in Washington to lose their ability to participate fully and fairly in American society.” as citizens, despite the guarantee of the Constitution. of their citizenship. »
Oregon, Arizona and Illinois joined the lawsuit.
Trump’s order instead argued that the Fourteenth Amendment “does not extend citizenship universally to anyone born” in the United States.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier this week, he said the lawsuits were part of the “left’s resistance” and the administration would face them in court.
The Justice Department said in a statement Wednesday that the order was “an integral part of President Trump’s recent actions, consistent with his significant immigration authority, to address this country’s broken immigration system.” and the current crisis at the national level. southern border“.