In a significant legal blow to President Donald Trump, a federal judge has blocked the enforcement of his executive order aimed at restricting birthright citizenship in the United States.
The ruling, made on Wednesday, February 5, comes just two weeks before the order was scheduled to take effect on February 19.
District Judge Deborah Boardman, who issued the decision, stated that denying birthright citizenship would cause “irreparable harm” and would go against the established legal precedents.
In her ruling, she emphasized that the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees citizenship to anyone born on American soil, making Trump’s executive order in direct conflict with this foundational law.
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“The denial of the precious right to citizenship will cause irreparable harm,” Judge Boardman said, as reported by The New York Times.
“No court in the country has ever endorsed the president’s interpretation. This court will not be the first.”
Trump’s executive order, which aimed to prevent children born to undocumented immigrants or those on temporary visas from obtaining citizenship, was widely criticized by opponents.
They argue that the order disregards a long-standing Supreme Court decision in the case of Wong Kim Ark (1898), where the Court ruled that children born in the U.S. to foreign parents are automatically granted citizenship.
The ruling follows another similar decision from a federal judge in Washington state, who had previously issued a 14-day stay on the order.
President Trump has expressed his intention to appeal these rulings, continuing the battle over birthright citizenship.
