A US federal judge has halted former President Donald Trump’s attempt to restrict birthright citizenship, dealing a significant legal blow to his administration’s immigration agenda.
District Judge Deborah Boardman issued the ruling on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, indefinitely blocking enforcement of Trump’s executive order, which was set to take effect on February 19. The order sought to deny U.S. citizenship to children born on American soil to undocumented immigrants or those on temporary visas.
In her decision, Judge Boardman emphasized that the order conflicts with the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees citizenship to anyone born in the country. She cited Supreme Court precedent, particularly the 1898 Wong Kim Ark case, which affirmed birthright citizenship for children of immigrants.
“The denial of the precious right to citizenship will cause irreparable harm,” Boardman stated, adding that no court has ever upheld the interpretation Trump put forward.
This ruling follows a similar 14-day stay issued in January by U.S. District Judge John Coughenour in Washington state, who described Trump’s executive order as “blatantly unconstitutional.”
Despite the setbacks, Trump has vowed to appeal the decision, keeping birthright citizenship a contentious issue ahead of the upcoming election cycle.
