WASHINGTON: A U.S. federal appeals court has blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order that aimed to limit birthright citizenship for children born in the country to undocumented immigrants.
The ruling came from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which voted 2-1 to strike down the order. The court said the order was unconstitutional and went against long-standing interpretations of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
This is the first time a federal appeals court has ruled on the issue. The case is expected to go to the U.S. Supreme Court for a final decision.
Trump first announced the order during his presidency, saying that birthright citizenship encouraged illegal immigration. Critics argued that the Constitution clearly grants citizenship to almost everyone born in the U.S., no matter their parents’ immigration status.
The Biden administration had stopped enforcing the order but had not officially canceled it. Trump’s legal team has already appealed the decision, moving the case closer to the Supreme Court.
The outcome could affect the citizenship status of thousands of children born in the U.S. every year.
