Attorneys general from 22 states have filed a lawsuit in an effort to block President Donald Trump’s move to end a century-old immigration practice known as birthright citizenship.
Trump issued his executive order on Monday, fulfilling one of his presidential campaign promises.
Birthright citizenship practice guarantees that US-born children are citizens regardless of their parents’ status.
The issue of birthright citizenship arose in Arizona—one of the states suing to block Trump’s order.
Illinois, Oregon and Washington have also filed a separate suit in federal court challenging the order.
But whether it succeeds is far from certain amid what is likely to be a lengthy legal battle over the president’s immigration policies and a constitutional right to citizenship.
The Democratic attorneys general and immigrant rights advocates say the question of birthright citizenship is settled law and that while presidents have broad authority, they are not kings.
photo credit: The Philadelphia Tribune
