Trump’s attempt to strip birthright citizenship remains blocked by federal courts

After a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last month limited the power of federal district courts to order national injunctions, advocacy groups like Voces Unidas feared that Trump’s harmful executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship would be allowed to move forward in some states.

This week is when the Supreme Court’s ruling would have allowed the policy to start being implemented in some states, but a flurry of rulings that have followed, including one as recently as last week, means that the order is once again blocked nationwide while the challenges are being heard.

Voces Unidas strongly believes that the attempt to deny citizenship to children born in the U.S. is unconstitutional, and we’re glad to see the courts continue to reach the same conclusion. 

Birthright citizenship was still expected to be protected in Colorado because it is one of the 22 states that has sued the federal government challenging the order. 

Next, the legal challenges brought against the Trump administration over this proposal are expected to reach the Supreme Court again. But this time, hopefully, on the merits of the question of whether the executive order is constitutional or not. 

Voces Unidas urges the courts to move as quickly as possible given that the uncertainty and confusion surrounding the executive order, along with other attacks on immigrants, is already causing harm to Latino communities. 

In the 1st 100 Days Poll of Latino voters nationwide, when asked about several federal policy proposals, eliminating birthright citizenship had one of the highest opposition rates and the lowest support. Data shows that 62% of Latino voters are against the change. At the same time, nearly half of Latino respondents reported that fear of immigration arrests is having a notable impact on their communities. 

Voces Unidas has met with the Colorado’s Attorney General and state legislators and continues to actively monitor this case, looking for opportunities to draft state legislation to emphatically protect Colorado families against unconstitutional attempts to strip away crucial rights.