Newly inaugurated President of the United States, Donald Trump has signed an executive order to end birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants.
On Monday night, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aiming to end birthright citizenship—a right enshrined in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and upheld by the Supreme Court for over 125 years.
Historically, the U.S. government has interpreted the 14th Amendment to grant citizenship to anyone born on American soil, regardless of their parents’ immigration status.
The 14th Amendment to the Constitution says: “All persons born or naturalised in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
Trump ordered federal agencies to halt the issuance of passports, citizenship certificates, and other documents to children born in the U.S. if their mothers are in the country illegally and their fathers are neither citizens nor legal permanent residents. The directive also targeted children whose mothers hold temporary visas under similar circumstances.
He specified that the order, which would not apply retroactively, should take effect within 30 days. However, mere hours after the announcement, the American Civil Liberties Union and other advocacy groups filed a federal lawsuit challenging the decision.
Legal experts anticipate that this executive order will face significant challenges in the courts, as altering birthright citizenship through executive action is widely considered unconstitutional.
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