Oregon, Washington attorneys general challenge Trump's birthright citizenship order
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Pacific Northwest officials are among the several state attorneys general taking action against one of President Donald Trump’s efforts to crack down on immigration.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield and Washington Attorney General Nick Brown have joined their Arizona and Illinois colleagues in filing a lawsuit to block the president’s executive order against birthright citizenship. In total, there are 18 attorneys general who launched a similar suit against federal leaders on Tuesday.
The complaints are in response to one of the numerous executive orders Trump issued on the first day of his second presidential term. Just hours after his inauguration on Monday, he declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border and called for more military surveillance on site.
Trump also called for an end to citizenship for residents who were born in the U.S., whose parents aren't legal citizens. Although birthright citizenship was first established with the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution in 1868, the recent order states the amendment “has never been interpreted to extend citizenship universally to everyone born within the United States.”
However, the state officials who filed a lawsuit over the order are arguing it is in direct violation of the Constitution.
“If allowed to stand, this order would break decades of established law that has helped keep kids healthy and safe,” Oregon Attorney General Rayfield said in a statement. “While the President has every right to issue executive orders during his time in office, that power does not extend to instituting policies that infringe on our constitutional rights.”
Plaintiffs alleged the end of birthright citizenship would lead to “immediate and irreparable harm” for families.
According to court documents, there were around 2,500 children born in Oregon in 2022 whose mothers hadn't obtained U.S. citizenship. In Washington, plaintiffs estimated around 7,000 babies were born to mothers without legal status.
The complaint noted the actual number of children who could be impacted is likely much higher than what has been estimated.