Just after taking office, President Trump signed a new rule that’s causing controversy: he wants to deny automatic citizenship to babies born in America if their parents aren’t U.S. citizens or permanent residents. This has sparked multiple lawsuits.
Twenty-two states led by Democratic governors, along with Washington D.C. and San Francisco, are suing Trump. The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups have also filed lawsuits. These cases were filed in Boston and Seattle federal courts.
According to Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell’s office, this rule would affect more than 150,000 babies born each year in the United States. Without citizenship, these children wouldn’t be able to get Medicaid health insurance, work legally when they grow up, or vote in elections.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin stated: “Today’s immediate lawsuit sends a clear message to the Trump administration that we will stand up for our residents and their basic constitutional rights.”
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The lawsuits say Trump’s order goes against the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, which grants citizenship to people born in the U.S. They point to a Supreme Court decision from 1898 (United States v. Wong Kim Ark) that confirmed this right for children of non-citizen parents.
One of the people suing is a pregnant woman in Massachusetts who’s living in the U.S. under temporary protected status and is due to give birth in March.
This isn’t the only legal battle Trump is facing. He’s also dealing with lawsuits challenging his decisions about changes to the Department of Government Efficiency (now led by Elon Musk), new rules making it easier to fire federal employees, and other immigration policies.
The White House hasn’t commented on these lawsuits yet.
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