AG Mayes Enters Covert Alliance to Challenge Trump’s Immigration Tactics

By Staff Reporter |

Attorney General Kris Mayes, alongside 21 other attorneys general, entered into a clandestine agreement aimed at countering President Donald Trump’s initiative to terminate birthright citizenship. The pact was made public by the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project soon after Trump’s recent election victory.

This agreement, signed on November 8, 2024, outlines a cooperative strategy to resist Trump’s immigration enforcement policies through collaborative legal actions and communication strategies. It specifically emphasizes the development of processes for investigations, litigation strategies, and briefings, while restricting third-party access to shared information.

While the agreement permits public records requests, it mandates a minimum five-day notice to other attorneys general before such requests are submitted. The document reflects a shared commitment among the parties to explore legal avenues to challenge any executive actions pertaining to birthright citizenship.

The attorneys general involved govern states including California, Colorado, and Minnesota, among others, extending to Washington, D.C., and San Francisco.

President Trump issued an executive order on his first day in office aimed at ending birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants. This order posits that the Fourteenth Amendment does not guarantee citizenship to all individuals born within the United States, a position contrary to established legal precedents.

So far, federal courts have blocked Trump’s order. Judges in Washington, Maryland, and most recently New Hampshire ruled against it. Mayes joined the earlier case in Washington, suggesting a direct linkage between the legal action and the newly revealed agreement.

“The court’s decision to block this illegal executive order nationwide protects the basic right to birthright citizenship guaranteed by the 14th Amendment,” Mayes stated. He reaffirmed his commitment to defending the constitutional rights of Arizonans against perceived overreach by the Trump administration.

It is noteworthy that states like Washington, Oregon, and Illinois, which are part of the secret agreement, are also co-litigants in the lawsuit alongside Mayes.