Attorneys general from 18 states, including Nevada, have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in an effort to prevent the elimination of birthright citizenship, a right guaranteed under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Massachusetts, challenges an executive order signed by President Trump on his first day in office, which seeks to deny citizenship to children born in the U.S. to parents who are in the country illegally.
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, along with the other state attorneys general, is requesting a judge to block the executive order’s enforcement, which is set to begin in February.
Ford emphasized the importance of the 14th Amendment, which states that anyone born or naturalized in the U.S. is a citizen, and argued that the executive order would harm thousands of children, stripping them of their rights as U.S. citizens. He also warned that the order could lead to a loss of federal funding for states.
The American Civil Liberties Union ACLU has also filed a lawsuit in response to the executive order, marking the beginning of legal challenges to the move. Ford had previously pledged to fight against any unconstitutional actions taken by the new administration.
