A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked a controversial decree that would strip American birthright rights from children of immigrants in the US. That decree the new President of the United States Donald Trump signed earlier this week. The judge called the policy “downright unconstitutional” during Thursday’s hearing.
On Monday, Trump signed the presidential decree that would no longer recognize children of illegal immigrants who were born in the US as American citizens. According to US law, children are immediately given American identity, regardless of the current residence status of their parents.
The suit was filed by a coalition of 22 American states, including mainly Democratic states such as California, Massachusetts and New Jersey. But the Republican states of Nevada, Wisconsin and North Carolina also joined the complaint, as well as a number of human rights organizations.
The federal judge, John Coughenour, repeatedly interrupted Trump’s Justice Department lawyer to ask how he could consider the order constitutional. The judgment means that the policy may not be implemented at least for the time being.
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Judge temporarily puts an end to Trump’s controversial decree on citizenship