North News
New Delhi, January 24
A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked former President Donald Trump’s executive order to end automatic citizenship for babies born on U.S. soil, calling the directive “blatantly unconstitutional,” the US based news outlets reported. U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour issued a nationwide two-week restraining order, halting the Trump administration’s move to deny citizenship to children of undocumented immigrants and temporary visitors, the news outlet The Washington Post reported. The ruling followed a lawsuit filed by four states—Washington, Arizona, Illinois, and Oregon—arguing that the order violated the 14th Amendment. “This is a blatantly unconstitutional order,” Judge Coughenour said during the hearing, the news outlet said. He criticised the administration’s legal defense, adding, “It boggles my mind.”
The executive order, signed by Trump earlier this week, sought to revoke birthright citizenship for children born to undocumented immigrants and non-citizen visitors, including tourists and students. It would apply to children born after February 19. The news outlet The New York Times reported that the judge’s restraining order is renewable upon expiration, providing states more time to challenge the directive.
Hours after the ruling, Trump told reporters, “Obviously we’ll appeal it.” The order was among several measures the administration introduced to restrict both legal and illegal immigration.
