A federal judge voted Thursday to block President Donald Trump's executive order limiting birthright citizenship, Breitbart reported. US District Judge John Coughenour called the order "blatantly unconstitutional" during the hearing.
Trump signed the order in the first hours of his second term as president, which began on Monday. In it, he argued that birthright citizenship did not apply to illegal immigrants or those in America on a visa as they are not "subject to the jurisdiction" of the U.S. as stated in the law.
Almost immediately, it faced severe opposition from 22 states, which sued to block it. Coughenour's ruling in Washington state puts a 14-day stop to the order nationwide.
"Frankly, I have difficulty understanding how a member of the Bar could state unequivocally that this is a constitutional order. It just boggles my mind," Coughenour said to Justice Department attorney Brett Shumate's argument in favor of the order.
Opposition to the executive order was swift and strong from the states that sued and several civil rights groups. The decision Thursday was cause for rejoicing from the plaintiffs.
Washington Attorney General Nick Brown claimed the ban on birthright citizenship was "un-American" and celebrated the ruling. "Birthright citizenship makes clear that citizenship cannot be conditioned on one’s race, ethnicity or where their parents came from," Brown claimed.
"It’s the law of our nation, recognized by generations of jurists, lawmakers and presidents, until President Trump’s illegal action," he added. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes similarly took a shot at Trump in the aftermath.
"No president can change the constitution on a whim, and today’s decision affirms that," Mayes said. She called the decision "the first of many wins to come as my office fights instances of executive overreach and any illegal actions the new administration may take."
Birthright citizenship is enshrined in the 14th Amendment, though it's open to interpretation. The post-Civil War law was ratified in 1868 as a way to unite a divided country.
Trump's desire to limit birthright citizenship is an outgrowth of his promise to stop the flow of illegal immigrants into the U.S. During his inaugural address, Trump confirmed his pledge to secure the Southern border and deport those already in the country who don't belong.
"First, I will declare a national emergency at our southern border. All illegal entry will immediately be halted," Trump promised just after taking the Oath of Office Monday, according to Fox News.
"And we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came," he added. The New York Post reported Friday that many illegal immigrants were already lining up for deportation flights amid threats to severely punish those in the nation illegally.
Trump's other plans include finishing the border wall he began during his first administration. He also designated Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations so that federal resources could be used to stop them, including the military.
The American people put Trump in office to tackle many issues plaguing the nation, including illegal immigration. Despite this judge's outrageous ruling to throw out the order right away, Trump has gotten so much done in his first few days in office.
