18 States Unite in Bold Lawsuit Against Trump’s Controversial Birthright Citizenship Move

President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship has sparked a legal firestorm, with 18 states, the District of Columbia, and San Francisco joining a lawsuit filed this Tuesday. The order, which was signed shortly after Trump’s inauguration, seeks to define birthright citizenship more restrictively by requiring at least one parent to be a U.S. citizen.

The multi-state coalition describes the action as a “flagrantly unlawful attempt” to deprive many American-born children of their citizenship rights. According to the lawsuit, “President Trump now seeks to abrogate this well-established and longstanding constitutional principle by executive fiat.” The coalition asserts that he lacks the authority to alter or negate constitutional amendments through executive measures.

The lengthy complaint, comprising 50 pages, was filed in a federal court in Massachusetts. It is co-led by Democratic attorneys general from New Jersey, California, and Massachusetts. Attorney General Andrea Campbell emphasized that birthright citizenship is a constitutional guarantee born from the struggle against oppression and slavery. She asserted that Trump could not strip away this right and vowed to challenge his efforts.

New York’s Attorney General Letitia James branded the executive order “not just unconstitutional, but profoundly dangerous.” James highlighted that the provision of birthright citizenship is critical to the nation’s commitment to justice and is firmly rooted in the 14th Amendment.

A broader coalition includes attorneys general from several states, such as Colorado, Connecticut, and Wisconsin, who similarly oppose the executive order. They argue that the order puts the citizenship status of hundreds of thousands of children at risk and burdens state resources.

Originally ratified in 1868, the 14th Amendment aimed to establish citizenship for individuals born in the U.S., particularly after the Civil War. The amendment has traditionally extended citizenship to those born in the U.S., irrespective of their parents’ citizenship status. Trump’s order disputes this established interpretation, claiming the amendment has historically excluded certain individuals from birthright citizenship.

The states’ lawsuit contends that Trump’s reinterpretation undermines decades of legal precedence. The coalition states, “The executive branch has embraced this understanding of the citizenship clause for more than a century.” They reference a 1995 statement from the Office of Legal Counsel asserting that any legislation aiming to deny citizenship based on parental status would be unconstitutional.

If upheld, Trump’s order could strip citizenship rights not only from the children of undocumented immigrants but also from those born to parents on temporary legal statuses, including student or H-1B visa holders.

Various civil rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, are also mounting their own legal challenges against the executive order across multiple jurisdictions. They characterize the order as an attack on fundamental constitutional protections and a continuation of historically racially grounded efforts against birthright citizenship.

This executive order was among over 40 signed by Trump on the first day of his presidency, reflecting a broader agenda that continues to provoke significant legal and social contention.