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President Trump has signed an executive order moving to end birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to illegal immigrants.

Some shit you should know before you read: Back in 1868, birthright citizenship became a part of US law through the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. It guarantees that anyone born in the United States is automatically a citizen, regardless of their parents’ immigration status. This principle, called jus soli (right of the soil), was introduced after the Civil War to ensure that formerly enslaved people and their descendants were granted full citizenship. For over 150 years, this policy has allowed millions of people born on US soil to become citizens, including an estimated 4.5 million children of illegal immigrants today.  

TRUMP WH

What’s going on now: After arriving at the White House, Trump signed an executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to illegal immigrants. The order seeks to reinterpret the 14th Amendment, which has guaranteed citizenship to nearly all individuals born on US soil for over 150 years. Under Trump’s directive, children born to parents without legal status would no longer automatically qualify for US citizenship, instead framing citizenship as a privilege tied to the parents’ legal status.

Lawsuits filed: Trump’s move has led to multiple lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of his executive order to end birthright citizenship. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) quickly filed a lawsuit, arguing that the order violates the 14th Amendment, which explicitly states, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.” ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero called the move “a reckless and ruthless repudiation of American values,” adding, “This order seeks to repeat one of the gravest errors in American history by creating a permanent subclass of people born in the U.S. who are denied full rights as Americans.”

Other lawsuits have been filed by immigrant rights groups, including the League of United Latin American Citizens, which argued that the order would leave many children stateless and “shorn of their national identity.”

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