A United States federal judge has blocked the enforcement of President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at restricting birthright citizenship in the country.
The ruling indefinitely stops one of Trump’s most controversial policies, which was scheduled to take effect on February 19.
According to the New York Times, District Judge Deborah Boardman stated in her decision that denying birthright citizenship would being irreparable harm and emphasized that Supreme Court precedent upholds the right of citizenship for those born in US.
The judge noted that Trump’s order conflicts with the plain language of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to anyone born in the country.
Boardman said: “The denial of the precious right to citizenship will cause irreparable harm.
“No court in the country has ever endorsed the president’s interpretation. This court will not be the first.”
The ruling follows a similar verdict by a federal judge in Washington state, who issued a 14-day stay on the order in January.
Judge John Coughenour described the measure as “blatantly unconstitutional,” prompting Trump to disclose his intention to appeal.
The legal challenge centers on the 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, which grants citizenship to every individual born in the United States.
The executive order of Trump argued that those in the country illegally or on temporary visas were not subject to US jurisdiction and therefore not eligible citizenship.
Opponents of the order have cited a 1898 Supreme Court ruling in the case of Wong Kim Ark, a Chinese-American man who was not granted reentry to the United States on the grounds that he was not a citizen.
The court ruled in his favor, affirming that birthright citizenship applies to immigrants’ children.
