A coalition of civil rights and immigration rights groups, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other groups have filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s administration over an executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship.
The lawsuit was filed on Monday, just after Trump signed the order on behalf of the families affected by the order.
The executive order seeks to stop automatic U.S. citizenship for children born on American soil to parents who are in the country unlawfully or on a temporary stay.
The Executive Order states that the federal government will no longer issue documents recognizing U.S. citizenship to children born to parents who are in the country unlawfully or temporarily. The order specifies that it will apply to children born in the U.S. after 30 days from the date of the order.
The 17-page lawsuit argues that the executive order violates federal law and the U.S. Constitution.
The groups’ attorneys stated: “For Plaintiffs – organisations with members impacted by the Order, and for families across the country – this Order seeks to strip from their children the ‘priceless treasure’ of citizenship, threatening them with a lifetime of exclusion from society and fear of deportation from the only country they have ever known.
“But that is illegal. The Constitution and Congress, not President Trump, dictate who is entitled to full membership in American society.”
The groups are asking a federal court in New Hampshire to declare Trump’s order unlawful and to block it both temporarily and permanently.
The lawsuit also mentioned that some of the affected groups’ members are expecting children who could be impacted by the new rule.
The attorneys representing the groups argue that the order could render these children stateless, either legally or practically.
They emphasised that the action is a serious and harmful overreach, affecting families and children who have only known the U.S. as their home.
