Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
California seeks to block Trump's birthright citizenship order

California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Tuesday joined top prosecutors from several other states who are suing President Donald Trump to stop him from ending birthright citizenship, arguing it's a constitutional right.
“The president chose to start his second term by knocking down one of our country’s foundational, long-standing rights and disregarding our nation’s governing document,” Bonta said at a morning news conference.
He added it set “a terrifying tone to set for the rest of his term.”
Trump signed the executive order Monday, the day of his inauguration, seeking to revoke birthright citizenship effective Feb. 19.
Birthright citizenship allows anyone born on U.S. soil to automatically become a citizen, regardless of their parent’s legal status. Under Trump’s order, people born to undocumented immigrants or to people in the U.S. on a temporary visa would not become citizens.
The lawsuit
In the lawsuit, Bonta joined attorneys general from more than 20 other states, including New Jersey, Massachusetts, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
The city and county of San Francisco and Washington D.C. are part of the lawsuit as well.
Bonta is a Democrat, as is each of the attorneys general in those states.
They are seeking an injunction in federal court to block Trump's order.
Is Trump's order constitutional?
Birthright citizenship is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment, Bonta said at the news conference. He called the order “blatantly unconstitutional” and “unAmerican.”
“I’ll see you in court,” he said referencing the president.
Some legal experts agree that Trump’s executive order likely violates the U.S. Constitution.
Pratheepan Gulasekaram, professor of law at the University of Colorado Boulder, said Tuesday on AirTalk that the legal case against Trump's order is well-established.
“If federal judges are faithful to their oath and complying with over a century of Supreme Court precedent and practice in the United States, they will very quickly reject what this executive order purports to do,” he said.
The American Civil Liberties Union on Tuesday also sued Trump seeking to block his effort to overturn birthright citizenship.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

-
Administrators say the bargaining units should be dismissed, or that they have no standing. One campus is going after the federal agency in charge of union activity.
-
The landslide is not connected to the greater Portuguese Bend landslide, city officials said.
-
Nom. Nom. Nom. The event destroyed the internet when it was first announced — and sold out in minutes.
-
The critical findings are part of long-awaited after-action report was released Thursday. It contains recommendations for increasing emergency staffing and updating old systems.
-
Diving has changed, mountain biking has been added. Here's where to watch the Olympics in person in 2028.
-
'A Great Day in the Stoke' is a free, daylong event in Orange County billed as 'the largest gathering of Black surfers in history.' The fourth annual festival is set for Saturday in Huntington Beach.