Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship sparks lawsuit from ALC

iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-

Among the several executive orders signed by Donald Trump after his inauguration as the 47th President of the U.S., one was to end birthright citizenship in the country.

The order aims to end the automatic citizenship of children born in the U.S. to non-citizen parents.

The order specified that a child born in the U.S. will be granted American citizenship if at least one parent is either a citizen of the country, a legal permanent resident (green card holder), or a member of the U.S. military.

“The Secretary of State, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Commissioner of Social Security shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that the regulations and policies of their respective departments and agencies are consistent with this order, and that no officers, employees, or agents of their respective departments and agencies act, or forbear from acting, in any manner inconsistent with this order,” read the White House order.

As per the American Immigration Council website, birthright citizenship allowed those born in the US to be legal American citizens automatically.

If the policy changes, it will affect a large number of Indians who are currently working in the U.S. on temporary work visas or awaiting green card, since their children born in the country would not become US citizens automatically.

Meanwhile, the Asian Law Caucus has filed a lawsuit to protect Birthright Citizenship.

In a statement, ALC Executive Director Aarti Kohli stated: “This Martin Luther King Jr. Day reminds us that the fight for civil rights demands both bold vision and concrete action. Today, as the new administration issued executive orders targeting Asian and immigrant communities, we chose action. I’m proud to share that the Asian Law Caucus and our partners have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the administration’s unconstitutional attack on birthright citizenship. While these orders are designed to create fear and chaos, we want you to know: we are prepared, we are united, and we are fighting back.”

“The orders announced today echo dark chapters in our nation’s history – from the Chinese Exclusion Act to the incarceration of Japanese Americans under the Alien Enemies Act to the sweeping surveillance and profiling of Muslim Americans after 9/11. Politicians have long used false claims about public health, safety, and national security to target and exclude communities of color. Today’s Proclamation explicitly uses this same language of ‘public health, safety, and national security’ to justify widespread restrictions and suspensions of rightful entry. Against this racist rhetoric, we are forging a different path, one that will build a country that upholds our values and our common humanity,” Kohli said

“Our communities have shown remarkable courage throughout history, in the face of exclusion, surveillance, and discrimination. Our clients are workers, tenants, caregivers, and leaders across their communities. Tomorrow, they will go to work, care for their families, and continue contributing to our collective wellbeing and safety- just as they have always done,” Kohli added.

ALC is taking immediate legal action. “Today, along with the ACLU, the ACLU of New Hampshire, the Legal Defense Fund, State Democracy Defenders Fund, and other partners, we filed a lawsuit challenging the administration’s attempt to end birthright citizenship – a right guaranteed by the 14th Amendment that our communities fought hard to secure in 1898.”

ALC is carefully monitoring and preparing to challenge harmful orders, including the “threat of a reinstated ban against our freedoms to move, travel and be with our loved ones, targeting people from Muslim-majority and other countries, attacks on sanctuary jurisdictions that are keeping communities safe and families whole, and the dangerous plan to invoke the Alien Enemies Act against our rights, the same law used to justify the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans”.

“We have assembled a rapid response team of legal experts and community advocates who understand our communities’ specific needs and concerns. We will provide accurate, timely information about your rights and any changes in policy in multiple languages. We are stronger than fear,” Kohli said.

“Dr. King showed us that meaningful change requires both legal advocacy and community organizing. Our ancestors and elders demonstrated this through decades of strategic litigation and grassroots mobilization. They faced exclusion laws and incarceration – and they persevered through unified action. Today, we continue their work. Together, we will protect our communities and advance justice,” Kohli added.

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