On the legal battleground of birthright citizenship, New York Attorney General Letitia James and a collective of attorneys general from twelve states and the City of San Francisco scored a preliminary victory against an executive action by President Trump. District Court Judge Leo Sorokin issued a preliminary injunction, ensuring, for now, that children born in the U.S. will continue to inherit citizenship irrespective of their parent’s immigration status.
When President Trump signed an executive order to end birthright citizenship on January 20, which many saw hurling against the Fourteenth Amendment and Section 1401 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, attorneys general quickly responded with a legal challenge, as reported by the Attorney's office. Prepared since Inauguration Day for this fight, the coalition, including Massachusetts, California, and Maryland, argued that the President's order could harm hundreds of thousands of families, Attorney General James reiterated, "This is not yet over, and we will continue to fight every single step of the way until President Trump is permanently prevented from trampling on the Fourteenth Amendment."
The roots of birthright citizenship in the United States dig back to pre-Civil War times and were cemented into law with the Fourteenth Amendment. This foundational right was enshrined to shield all children born on American soil despite the immigration status of their parents, as the coalition’s legal filings point out. This point emphasized by Attorney General James in the case was evident in the judge's order; protecting the integrity of this long-standing constitutional element was paramount.
The coalition's lineup boasted inclusion attorneys general from states like Hawaii, Maine, and Connecticut, asserting legal pressure on President Trump's executive order. "We immediately stood up for our Constitution, for the rule of law, and for families across the country who would have been deprived of their constitutional rights," Attorney General James stated to her office, detailing the initial actions her coalition took once the executive order was signed.
