Monday, September 28, 2026

Judge blocks Trump’s order ending U.S. birthright citizenship indefinitely

Mr Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship for children born to undocumented and temporary immigrants on U.S. soil has suffered another blow.

• February 5, 2025
Trump and black U.S. babies
Trump and babies

President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship for children born to undocumented and temporary immigrants on U.S. soil has suffered another blow after a Federal District Judge in Maryland placed an indefinite preliminary injunction on the government from moving forward with the decision.

According to the New York Times, five pregnant women who do not have lawful immigration status and two non-profits that work with immigrants had sued Mr Trump at the court immediately after the politician signed an executive order ending automatic citizenship for children of non-permanent immigrants in the country just hours on his return to White House.

During a hearing on Wednesday, Judge Deborah Boardman granted a nationwide injunction on the case, stopping the Trump government from enforcing the order, stating the executive order by Mr Trump was unconstitutional as it violates the plain language of the 14th Amendment, which ensures automatic citizenship for children born on U.S. soil irrespective of their parents’ immigration status.

“The executive order conflicts with the plain language of the 14th Amendment, contradicts 125-year-old binding Supreme Court precedent and runs counter to our nation’s 250-year history of citizenship by birth,” Ms Boardman ruled.

The judge added, “The United States Supreme Court has resoundingly rejected the president’s interpretation of the citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment. In fact, no court in the country has ever endorsed the president’s interpretation. This court will not be the first.”

Ms Boardman also justified her decision to grant the injunction because one of the plaintiffs, represented by the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown University Law Center, has members in every state, including hundreds of pregnant women who could give birth in the coming weeks.

The latest ruling ensures a permanent stay on the executive order after a Seattle Federal District Court judge, John Coughenour, had earlier granted a renewable 14-day nationwide restraining order on the matter after four states, Washington, Arizona, Illinois and Oregon, sued Mr Trump on his “unconstitutional” executive order.

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