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AG Kris Mayes Takes Aim: Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Order Under Fire for Legality

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'He is dead wrong': AG Kris Mayes challenges legality of Trump's birthright citizenship order


PHOENIX — Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced her intention to legally contest President Donald Trump’s executive order that seeks to end birthright citizenship. This challenge will be part of a broader coalition involving several other attorneys general across the United States.

Mayes, representing a Democratic stance, asserts that Trump’s order infringes upon the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, which guarantees citizenship to all individuals born or naturalized in the U.S. “Birthright citizenship has allowed America to become the vibrant and dynamic home to families from all corners of this planet,” she stated. “It has helped make our country the strong, prosperous, and great nation that it is today.”

The executive order specifies that automatic citizenship would not apply to individuals born to mothers who were not legally present in the U.S. or to fathers who were not citizens. It also affects those born to mothers who were in the U.S. legally but only on a temporary basis.

In the complaint filed alongside Washington, Oregon, and Illinois, it was noted that approximately 6,000 children were born in Arizona in 2022 to mothers without legal status. About 3,400 of these births involved parents who both lacked legal status, emphasizing the order’s wide-reaching implications.

Labeling the president’s directive as “lawless,” Mayes stated, “He is dead wrong,” emphasizing that such changes cannot be made unilaterally by any president.

Prominent Democrats in Arizona have swiftly criticized the executive order. Congressman Ruben Gallego referred to it as “anti-American and unconstitutional,” stating the need for an extensive immigration overhaul rather than such divisive executive actions. Governor Katie Hobbs similarly condemned the order, urging the president to rethink a policy that undermines American ideals.

The constitutional debate surrounding birthright citizenship is intensifying, as various states prepare to join Arizona’s legal action, reflecting deep-seated tensions in U.S. immigration and citizenship policies.