Support for LAist comes from
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Stay Connected
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Listen

Share This

Civics & Democracy

California seeks to block Trump's birthright citizenship order

Rob Bonta, a Filipino American man who appears to be in his 40s or 50s, is shown in close-up speaking into a microphone. He wears a dark pinstriped suit and white shirt. His hair is gray and black and is combed straight back. The expression on his face appears a bit concerned as he talks.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks during a news conference on Nov. 15, 2021.
(
Justin Sullivan
/
Getty Images North America
)

With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive. 

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.

Support for LAist comes from

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.

Listen 0:41
California seeks to block Trump's birthright citizenship order

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.

Support for LAist comes from

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.

At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.

But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.

We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.

Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist