A federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s new strategy targeting so-called “birth tourism,” finding that it likely conflicts with the 14th Amendment.
A federal judge halted President Donald Trump’s latest order restricting birthright citizenship, according to EFE.
Judge Deborah Boardman blocked an executive order Trump signed in August following the Supreme Court’s decision in late June.
The new strategy sought to identify circumstances that, according to the administration, would be exempt from the automatic citizenship granted to people born in the US.
The August 6 order also addressed cases involving foreign government employees, individuals linked to terrorist organizations, and certain US territories.
Additionally, it covered situations in which parents participated in a commercial transaction to facilitate a birth in the US or through a surrogate mother.
The White House says these measures are intended to prevent abuse and protect “the meaning and value” of US citizenship.
Boardman determined in a 35-page decision that the new order is “almost certainly unconstitutional,” according to EFE.
The judge argued that the Supreme Court has already established that these children are citizens at birth and maintained that the president must comply with that decision.
Organizations including CASA and the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project challenged the new measure in a Maryland court.
The plaintiffs argue that the president cannot use executive orders to create new restrictions on constitutionally protected citizenship.
Trump’s order instructed federal agencies not to issue documents recognizing US citizenship under certain circumstances.
This directly involved the State and Homeland Security departments, as well as the Department of Justice and the Social Security Administration.
However, the judicial block does not mean the legal battle is over. The administration can continue defending its interpretation in court.
The underlying question will remain the subject of an intense legal and political dispute: Should the US maintain birthright citizenship without new exceptions?
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SOURCE: EFE / The White House
