Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Partly Lift Birthright Citizenship Restrictions
The Trump administration has requested that the U.S. Supreme Court allow certain restrictions on birthright citizenship to take effect, despite ongoing legal battles.
Washington: The Trump administration has requested that the U.S. Supreme Court allow certain restrictions on birthright citizenship to take effect, despite ongoing legal battles. The emergency application, filed on Thursday, seeks to narrow court orders from district judges in Maryland, Massachusetts, and Washington, which have blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order related to birthright citizenship.
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Trump’s Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship Faces Legal Hurdles
The executive order, signed shortly after President Trump began his second term, has been blocked nationwide by lower courts. The order seeks to deny citizenship to children born after February 19, whose parents are in the U.S. illegally. Additionally, the order prohibits U.S. agencies from issuing or recognizing any documents that would acknowledge citizenship for such children.
Legal Challenges to the Executive Order
The Trump administration’s executive order has faced opposition from multiple states, individuals, and groups, all of whom argue that the order violates the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil. As of now, several federal appeals courts, including one in Massachusetts on Tuesday, have rejected the administration’s pleas to lift the restrictions.
Justice Department’s Plea to Narrow Court Rulings
In its application to the Supreme Court, the administration argues that individual judges do not have the authority to impose nationwide injunctions that block the executive order’s enforcement. Instead, the administration requests that the justices allow the restrictions to apply nationwide, except for the individuals and groups that have already filed lawsuits. The Justice Department contends that the states challenging the order lack the legal standing to do so.
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Potential Policy Announcements as a Backup Plan
As a fallback option, the Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to permit the government to publicly announce how it plans to enforce the birthright citizenship restrictions if the policy is eventually upheld.
Supreme Court’s History with Nationwide Injunctions
While five conservative justices on the Supreme Court have expressed concerns about nationwide injunctions in the past, the court has never directly ruled on the matter. The administration made a similar argument during Trump’s first term, particularly during the Supreme Court case involving the travel ban from several Muslim-majority countries. While the court upheld the travel ban, it did not address the issue of nationwide injunctions.
Ongoing Legal and Political Implications
The case represents a significant legal and constitutional challenge, with the outcome likely to have broad implications for U.S. immigration policy and the interpretation of birthright citizenship.
