US Judge Halts Trump's Latest Birthright Citizenship Order

A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's latest executive order aimed at restricting birthright citizenship in the United States. The preliminary injunction, issued on Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman in Maryland, halts the order until a class-action lawsuit filed by immigrant families and advocacy groups is resolved.

Judge Boardman, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, wrote in her ruling that the Supreme Court has already established that children in the certified class are 'citizens at birth.' She referenced the 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, which guarantees citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil, with limited exceptions.

This is not the first attempt by the Trump administration to end birthright citizenship. A previous executive order was struck down by the Supreme Court in June. The new order, issued in August, was narrower and targeted specific categories, including children born to individuals with ties to foreign embassies or organizations, and those considered 'alien enemies.' It also sought to deny citizenship to children whose parents engaged in 'birth tourism'—entering the U.S. on a nonimmigrant visa specifically to give birth.

The plaintiffs, which include We Are CASA, the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, and the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection, argued that the order created widespread confusion and fear. Some families worried that their children could be denied citizenship simply because they purchased airfare or had relatives connected to gangs abroad.

The administration's lawyers argued that the injunction request was premature, as agencies had not yet issued official guidance. Judge Boardman rejected this, stating that the executive order itself commands agencies to deny citizenship documents to broad categories of children, regardless of future guidance.

Shana Khader, legal director at We Are CASA, said in a statement that the White House must recognize it cannot strip children of their citizenship rights or place the president's anti-immigrant agenda above the Constitution. The White House has not yet responded to a request for comment.