(Washington State) A federal judge today granted Washington state’s request for a preliminary injunction against the president’s unconstitutional birthright citizenship executive order, preventing the federal government from denying birthright citizenship to the children of immigrants.
Immigrant families nationally are protected from any threat of their children losing citizenship while Washington’s lawsuit continues.
Thursday’s hearing was part of a multistate lawsuit filed Jan. 21 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington and joined by Oregon, Arizona, and Illinois. The case was consolidated with a similar suit brought by the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project on behalf of two expecting mothers and a proposed class including pregnant people in Washington who would be impacted by the president’s order.
“Our argument is simple and true — birthright citizenship is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution,” Attorney General Nick Brown said. “The president may not care about the Constitution or the rule of law, but we do.”
The complaint asserts that President Trump’s executive order violates the 14th Amendment of the U.S Constitution and the federal Immigration and Nationality Act.
If allowed to stand, the president’s order would cause thousands of newborns and children born in Washington each year to lose their ability to fully and fairly participate in American society as citizens, despite the Constitution’s guarantee of their citizenship.
President Trump acted far outside the bounds of his legal authority in issuing his executive order. Allowing federal agencies to implement and enforce it would harm thousands of Washingtonians and the state at large.
Washington administers numerous programs to support the health and welfare of its residents. Many of those programs are supported by federal funding, which would be reduced as a result of the executive order.
Wing Luke Civil Rights Division Chief Colleen Melody, Assistant Attorneys General Lane Polozola, Daniel Jeon and Alyson Dimmitt Gnam, and Paralegals Tiffany Jennings, and Anna Alfonso are handling the case for Washington.
The individual plaintiffs and proposed class of children and pregnant persons are represented by Matt Adams, Leila Kang, Glenda M. Aldana Madrid, and Aaron Korthuis of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project.
Click here to read more about this lawsuit and read about it in Spanish here.
