Washington’s new Attorney General Nick Brown filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, was joined by Oregon, Arizona, and Illinois.
The president’s “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship” order states that a child born in the U.S. must have at least one parent who is either a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident to automatically become a U.S. citizen. The president’s campaign statements made clear this order was intended to curb illegal immigration.
However, if the order is allowed to stand, The Attorney General’s office worries it could cause thousands of newborns and children in Washington to lose their ability to fully participate in society.
“Unlawfully stripping U.S. citizens of their right to citizenship will impact their ability to vote, travel abroad, secure housing, access health care, seek employment, run for public office, serve on juries and, more generally, participate fully in American society,” a news release from the AG’s office states.
The right to citizenship by birth was established under the 14th Amendment, and the AG’s office claims that President Trump’s executive order to abolish it is a violation of the U.S. Constitution and the federal Immigration and Nationality Act.
Washington is seeking an emergency court order preventing any federal agency from relying on the order to deny the privileges of citizenship—including passports, social security numbers, health care benefits, and more for the states included in the lawsuit.
Most of President Trump’s initial executive orders signed in his first day in office were about immigration and the U.S.-Mexico border. He has said he will follow through with mass deportations of illegal immigrants, resume building a border wall, and slow the spread of drugs coming into the country.
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