US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order ordering US authorities to stop issuing citizenship documents to children born in the United States whose parents do not have legal status.
The measure is one of several immigration orders signed by Trump on his first night after the inauguration, the Washington Post writes.
The order attempts to reinterpret the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, which guarantees citizenship to all persons born on United States soil. Legal experts are concerned about the legal viability of this measure, pointing out that it is probably illegal and will soon be challenged in the courts.
In his inaugural address, Trump announced the use of the Alien Enemy Act of 1798, a wartime authorization, to use “the full power of federal and state law enforcement agencies” to remove foreign gangs and criminals from the US .
The law was last used during World War II, when Japanese-American citizens were imprisoned in internment camps.
– I have no greater responsibility than to protect our country from threats and invasions – said Trump. “We’re going to do this on a scale that no one has seen before.”
Trump also declared a state of emergency on the southern border to resume construction of the border wall, and ordered the deployment of armed forces to provide support for border security, including migrant holding facilities and transportation.
– Every illegal entry will be stopped – said Trump.
The order will also block asylum seekers who planned to cross the border through the CBP One application, while ending the “categorical” parole programs, which allowed up to 30,000 migrants a month from Cuba, Venezuela, Haiti and Nicaragua.
Additional momentum to Trump’s agenda was given by the support of twelve Democratic senators who voted for the Laken Riley Act, named after the student from Georgia whose death became a symbol of the Trump campaign.
This law mandates the mandatory detention of immigrants accused of minor offenses, such as theft.
With this decision, Trump fulfills a long-standing goal of conservative groups who argue that migrants cross the border illegally so that their children can acquire American citizenship. The order will take effect in the next 30 days and halt the issuance of passports and recognition of citizenship to children born to parents without legal status.
According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, in 2022 there were about 4.4 million children born in the country whose parents were undocumented, while at least 1.4 million adults had parents without legal status.
Although Trump has previously threatened to enact a similar measure in 2018 and 2019, this is the first time such an order has been officially signed. Analysts point out that the final decision on the legality of this measure will probably be made by the Supreme Court.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
