US Judge Blocks Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Orders

In a major legal setback to US President Donald Trump and his administration, a federal judge has blocked the latest executive order aimed to limit birthright citizenship to new born babies in the country. Judge Deborah Boardman of Maryland court ruled that the new order is likely unconstitutional.

It is a known fact that Trump after taking charge in his second term last year signed an order to stop automatic citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants or temporary visitors. However, in June the US Supreme Court rejected that initial attempt and temporarily halted the process.

In order to move ahead with his goal, Trump issued a revised executive order on August 6. This new order tried to modify certain clauses and tried a new clause called birth tourism, which denies citizenship to children of foreign government workers or short-term visitors who visit USA just to claim this privilege. The administration claimed this updated rule was specific enough to legally stand.

Despite proposing these changes, civil rights groups went back to court to block the new rule. Judge Boardman agreed that the Supreme Court had already decided these children are citizens at birth. She warned that the government cannot use fresh executive actions to bypass highest-court rulings.

The court order blocks key government agencies from denying citizenship, passports, or social security numbers to affected children.

The other day, a new proposal also came up for discussion. If this rule is implemented, federal agencies could mandatorily demand parents to submit strict legal documentation proving their own status before a child is granted an American passport.