A federal court in New Hampshire has blocked President Donald Trump's executive order restricting birthright citizenship and certified a nationwide class to protect the citizenship rights of all children born on US soil.
Judge Joseph Laplante made the announcement on Thursday, July 10, following a hearing.The court's decision protects all families in the country impacted by the executive order.
The ruling stems from a nationwide class-action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other organizations on June 27. The lawsuit was filed after a Supreme Court decision potentially allowed for partial enforcement of the executive order.
The court included a 7-day stay to allow for appeal, but the ruling will still go into effect before July 27, when partial implementation of the order might have begun.
“This ruling is a huge victory and will help protect the citizenship of all children born in the United States, as the Constitution intended,” said Cody Wofsy, deputy director of the ACLU’s Immigrant’s Rights Project, who argued the case. “We are fighting to ensure President Trump doesn’t trample on the citizenship rights of one single child.”
“This morning, the federal court in New Hampshire agreed once again that President Trump's executive order to restrict birthright citizenship is a blatant violation of the U.S. Constitution. The executive order, which is now temporarily blocked nationwide in this class action lawsuit and blocked regionally in our January lawsuit, stands in flagrant opposition to our constitutional rights, values, and history. Our Constitution ensures that no politician can decide who among those born in this country is worthy of citizenship — a principle that continues to be ardently reinforced in court across the country and here in the Granite State,” said Devon Chaffee, executive director of the ACLU of New Hampshire.
“Today’s decision is a powerful affirmation of the 14th Amendment and the enduring principle that citizenship in the United States is a right by birth, not a privilege granted by politics. By granting nationwide class certification and blocking the executive order from taking effect, the court has sent a clear message: all children born on U.S. soil are entitled to the full rights and protections of citizenship. This is a critical victory for families across the country, and we will continue to defend the constitutional promise of equal protection under the law,” said Morenike Fajana, senior counsel of the Legal Defense Fund.
“Since the Supreme Court’s decision, parents have lived in fear and uncertainty, wondering whether they should give birth in a different state, whether their newborns would be subject to deportation, and what kind of future awaits their children,” said Aarti Kohli, executive director of Asian Law Caucus.
“This court’s injunction protecting birthright citizenship for all affected children is a major victory for families across this country and for all Americans. This ruling reaffirms that constitutional rights cannot be stripped away by executive decree.”
“Today’s decision is a victory for our plaintiffs, and millions of families across this country, who deserve clarity, and stability,” said Tianna Mays, legal director for Democracy Defenders Fund. “The fight to uphold the guarantee of birthright citizenship is far from over and we will continue to advocate to ensure we keep that promise.”
“For the second time, this court has affirmed the constitutional commitment that anyone born in the United States is a citizen, regardless of their parents’ background. The U.S. has always been a nation of immigrants, and we are thrilled to be moving forward with this critically important case at a time when immigrant families across the country face increasing hostility, threats, and harm,” said Molly Curren Rowles, executive director of the ACLU of Maine.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com