By John Ogunsemore
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order prohibiting federal agencies from issuing citizenship documents to children born on US soil to non-citizen parents.
Trump signed the executive order at the White House on Monday evening, hours after his inauguration as the 47th President.
Birthright citizenship is a constitutionally guaranteed right which was affirmed by the Supreme Court more than 125 years ago.
The 14th Amendment to the Constitution says, “All persons born or naturalised in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
However, Trump’s order directed federal agencies to stop issuing passports, citizenship certificates, and other documents to children born in the US to mothers who are in the country illegally and fathers who are not citizens or legal permanent residents, or to mothers who are temporary visa holders (and fathers who are not citizens or legal permanent residents).
The order is to take effect in 30 days.
Meanwhile, immigrants rights advocates acting under the aegis of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have instituted a lawsuit against the new administration over the new policy.
According to a release on the ACLU website, the lawsuit was filed on behalf of organisations with members whose babies born on US soil will be denied citizenship under the order, including New Hampshire Indonesian Community Support, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and Make the Road New York.
The lawsuit charges the Trump administration with flouting the Constitution’s dictates, congressional intent, and longstanding Supreme Court precedent.
Executive Director of ACLU, Anthony D. Romero said, “Denying citizenship to US-born children is not only unconstitutional — it’s also a reckless and ruthless repudiation of American values.
“Birthright citizenship is part of what makes the United States the strong and dynamic nation that it is.
“This order seeks to repeat one of the gravest errors in American history, by creating a permanent subclass of people born in the US who are denied full rights as Americans. We will not let this attack on newborns and future generations of Americans go unchallenged. The Trump administration’s overreach is so egregious that we are confident we will ultimately prevail.”