Oregon attorney general welcomes judge’s order blocking President Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield welcomed word Thursday that a federal judge in Seattle was issuing a nationwide temporary restraining order blocking an executive order by President Trump, a ruling that he said will prevent federal agencies from stripping people of their rights to citizenship.

The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by Oregon, Washington, Arizona and Illinois that challenged President Trump’s executive order to deny birthright citizenship in the United States.

The coalition of states cited the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in this country.

“The administration’s attempt to sidestep the 14th Amendment is a clear violation of the United States Constitution,” said Rayfield. “No president has the authority to change the Constitution via executive order. If allowed to stand, the President’s order would break more than a century of established law and bring great risk to our other constitutional freedoms.” 

U.S. District Judge John Coughenour issued Thursday’s ruling. It blocks a directive from President Trump that would require federal agencies to stop issuing citizenship documents to children born in the U.S. to undocumented parents and those with temporary visas.

Pending further proceedings in the case, children born in the United States will continue to receive citizenship at birth, regardless of their parents’ immigration status, Rayfield said.

“While the President has every right to issue executive orders during his time in office, he does not have the authority to arbitrarily deny Americans their constitutional rights,” said Rayfield. “Oregon will always stand up to protect the rights of its citizens.”