WASHINGTON – U.S. President Donald Trump’s attempt to end automatic birthright citizenship faced another legal hurdle on Friday as the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, refused to lift a nationwide injunction blocking his executive order. The ruling upholds a decision by a federal judge in Maryland who found the order unconstitutional.
The executive order aimed to deny citizenship to children born in the U.S. to undocumented or non-permanent immigrants, a move widely criticized as part of Trump’s hardline immigration agenda. However, the appeals court noted, “For well over a century, the federal government has recognized the birthright citizenship of children born in this country to undocumented or non-permanent immigrants.”
The court argued that implementing the order would cause significant “confusion and upheaval” and ruled that maintaining the injunction aligns with public interest. It emphasized that the government failed to demonstrate any meaningful harm if it continued to adhere to the established interpretation of birthright citizenship during the appeals process.
This is the second appellate court to block Trump’s order, following a similar decision by a judge in Seattle. Additional injunctions have been issued by judges in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The case is expected to ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.