Name: 22 States Sue to Block Trump’s Order to End Birthright Citizenship
Uploaded: 2025-01-24T03:04:29.000Z
Description: A coalition of 22 state attorneys general and two cities have filed lawsuits seeking to block President Donald Trump’s executive order denying citizenship to children born in the United States to illegal immigrants and other non-citizens.

Arleen Richards is NTD's legal correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City, where she covers all major legal stories. Arleen holds a Doctor of Law (J.D.).


Arleen Richards

NTD Plus

News

News with integrity, from the United States and around the world. Focused reports and analyses that shed light on major issues the world deserves to know. NTD Evening News airs daily at 6 p.m. ET.

NTD Evening News

Trump Admin Again Asks Supreme Court to Intervene in Mail-in-Ballot Order

Cary Dunst is the news anchor for NTD Evening News. He is also the co-host of NTD Good Morning.


Cary Dunst

‘Drive by Pollsters’ Got It Wrong in Wisconsin Primary: Pollster of American Pulse Research & Polling

Christina Corona is a California-based reporter for NTD News. She primarily covers California news, politics, and entertainment.  

Christina Corona

Deadly Storms Leave 3 Dead Across US Midwest

Jackson Richman is a Washington correspondent for The Epoch Times. In addition to Washington politics, he covers the intersection of politics and sports/sports and culture. He previously was a writer at Mediaite and Washington correspondent at Jewish News Syndicate. His writing has also appeared in The Washington Examiner. He is an alum of George Washington University.

Jackson Richman

Jack Bradley is a Washington correspondent for NTD News based in Washington, D.C. Jack previously anchored "NTD Newsroom" and worked as an assistant producer for the show. 

Jack Bradley

US News

Immigration &amp; Border Security

11 Charged in Immigration Scheme Involving Over 1,000 Sham Marriages

FCC Leads Trump Admin Crackdown on Chinese Tech Threats

Sam Wang is a Washington correspondent for NTD News based in Washington, D.C. Sam covers politics on Capitol Hill, and U.S.-China relations. 

Sam Wang

Citizens Reflect: One Year Into DC Crime Crackdown

Red Tape Among Symptoms Plaguing California: Executive Director of Unleash Prosperity

Steve Hilton Unveils New California Economic Plan

David Lam is a national correspondent based in California and a part-time anchor for "NTD Tonight." Before joining NTD he was a financial analyst.

David Lam

Court Allows More Than 3,000 Lawsuits Against Big Tech to Proceed

Rachel Acenas is an experienced journalist and TV news reporter and anchor covering breaking stories and contributing original news content for NTD's digital team.

Rachel Acenas

Jason Blair is a national correspondent for NTD News based in California. 

Jason Blair

State News

District of Columbia

FBI: Violent Crime Declined in 66 Large US Communities in First Half of 2026

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (August 12)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (August 11)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (Aug. 10)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (Aug. 7)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (August 6)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (August 5)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (August 4)

Paul Greaney is an NTD news anchor and producer. Since joining the company in 2018, he has anchored the station’s flagship Evening News broadcast, launched the NTD Business show, and produced documentary reports on pointed issues. 

The highlight of Paul’s time in the field was his coverage of the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Paul Greaney

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (Aug. 2)

Full Episodes

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (Aug. 1)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 31)

Reuters is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages.

Reuters

Cyber Defense Agency Warns Hackers Are Increasingly Targeting Water Systems

NTD Newsroom comprises teams of reporters, editors, and producers assigned to cover breaking news and other stories.


NTD Newsroom

Breaking news and in-depth analysis from the United States and beyond. We bring you the latest updates, exclusive insights, and sharp discussions on the most pressing issues. NTD Newsroom airs Monday–Friday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

US Announces Visa Restrictions Targeting Cybercriminals

Rudy Blalock is a Southern California-based daily news reporter for NTD. Originally from Michigan, he moved to California in 2017 and the sunshine and ocean have kept him here since. In his free time, he may be found underwater scuba diving, on top of a mountain hiking or snowboarding, or at home meditating—which helps fuel his active lifestyle.

Rudy Blalock

RFK Jr. Declares Public Health Emergency for Wildfire-Ravaged Washington State

Joseph Lord is a congressional reporter for The Epoch Times.


Joseph Lord

Politics

Congress

House Passes Legislation to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent

Tiffany Meier is an anchor, China news investigative reporter, and producer for NTD News based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Tiffany anchors NTD's flagship shows "NTD Evening News" and "China in Focus" and co-moderates NTD's special election coverage "The Nation Decides." She produced the award-winning NTD Original documentary "Hollywood Takeover: China's Control in the Film Industry."


Tiffany Meier

Shows

Fast, compelling, first-hand news from China. China in Focus airs Monday–Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET.

China in Focus

Japan to Counter China With 'Overall National Strength'; US: 'No Nation Will Dominate Indo-Pacific'

Trump Admin Launches Program Requiring Some Immigrants to Post Bond up to $250,000

News you can trust from the U.S. and around the world. Critical information and insight. We cover the stories that others don’t. NTD News Today airs Monday–Friday at 11 a.m. ET.

NTD News Today

Florida Ticket Wins $800 Million Mega Millions Jackpot

Troy Myers is a regional reporter based in St. Augustine, Florida. His background includes breaking, criminal justice, and investigative writing for local news, producing on a national morning newscast in Washington, D.C., and working with an award-winning, weekly investigative news program. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his dog at the beach.

Troy Myers

Jason Perry is an Army veteran and NTD's national security correspondent. Jason primarily covers border security, national defense, foreign wars, and veterans' issues.

Jason Perry

Courts

Appeals Court Upholds Block on Trump Order to Tighten Mail-In Voting, Citizenship Verification

Bringing you the latest videos, livestreams, and premieres.


NTD Videos

Label

Live

NTD+ Live

Trump Makes an Announcement on Freedom Hauler in the White House

Melina Wisecup is NTD's congressional correspondent based in Washington, covering Capitol Hill and campaign politics.

Melina Wisecup

House Passes Defense Policy Bill That Attaches SAVE America Act

A coalition of 22 state attorneys general and two cities have filed lawsuits seeking to block President Donald Trump’s executive order denying citizenship to children born in the United States to illegal immigrants and other non-citizens.

One of the <a href="https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/court-filings/2025-0121-complaint.pdf">complaints</a>, filed on Jan. 21 at the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, alleges that Trump’s Jan. 20 order to end birthright citizenship violates the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Section 1401 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

“President Trump’s attempt to unilaterally end birthright citizenship is a flagrant violation of our Constitution,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a <a href="https://www.njoag.gov/attorney-general-platkin-leads-challenge-to-unconstitutional-trump-executive-order-ending-birthright-citizenship/">statement</a>. “For more than 150 years, our country has followed the same basic rule: babies who are born in this country are American citizens."

In addition to Massachusetts, the other states in the suit are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, plus the District of Columbia and the city and county of San Francisco.

Four additional states—Arizona, Illinois, Oregon, and Washington—filed a separate complaint in a Seattle court, making essentially the same claim.

Trump's <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/trump-signs-executive-order-ending-birthright-citizenship-5795497">order</a>, issued shortly after he assumed office on Jan. 20, claims that the Fourteenth Amendment’s <a href="https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/amdt14-S1-1-2/ALDE_00000812/">Citizenship Clause</a> does not universally grant citizenship to everyone born in the United States.

In particular, it argues that the phrase "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" in the citizenship clause excludes children of illegal immigrants and other non-citizens from automatic U.S. citizenship.

The executive order states that children are excluded from automatic citizenship:

"(1) when that person’s mother was unlawfully present in the United States and the person’s father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth, or (2) when that person’s mother’s presence in the United States was lawful but temporary, and the person’s father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth."

It prescribes that no federal agency shall issue or recognize any document recognizing U.S. citizenship for any such child born after Feb. 19, 2025.

The action fulfills Trump's campaign pledge to end birthright citizenship, while the lawsuit against it represents the expected constitutional challenge.

In both cases, the plaintiffs want the courts to nullify Trump’s order and block any steps taken to enforce it. They argue that the Fourteenth Amendment’s principle of birthright citizenship, <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/169/649/">affirmed</a> by the Supreme Court in United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898), guarantees citizenship to anyone born in the United States regardless of parental status.

Further, in one of the complaints, the plaintiffs note that Congress has <a href="https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title8-section1401&num=0&edition=prelim">codified</a> this principle in the Immigration and Nationality Act and that the Executive Branch “has long recognized that any attempt to deny citizenship to children based on their parents’ citizenship or immigration status would be ‘unquestionably unconstitutional.’”

The plaintiffs argue that the president lacks the power to rewrite or nullify a constitutional amendment and that he is not authorized by any law to limit who can obtain U.S. citizenship at birth.

If the order is allowed to stand, children born to parents who are in the United States illegally will "all become deportable, and many will be stateless," the plaintiffs contend, arguing that this would cause them to suffer "immediate and irreparable harm" after Feb. 19.

Such children also will lose access to various federal services and become ineligible to participate in various forms of economic and civic life, such as working, voting, serving on juries, or running for certain types of office, the plaintiffs note.

Further, if the courts uphold Trump's order, the states say, they will have to modify their benefit programs to account for the changes, causing them to incur significant costs.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit. However, after reporters asked Trump on Monday about potential legal challenges to his order, the president said: "We think we have good ground, but you could be right. You'll find out."

The states' legal challenge follows a <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/aclu-sues-trump-over-order-ending-birthright-citizenship-5796194">similar lawsuit</a> filed on Jan. 20 by a coalition of groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), State Democracy Defenders Fund, and Legal Defense Fund.

<em>From <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/18-states-sue-to-block-trumps-order-to-end-birthright-citizenship-5796410">The Epoch Times</a></em>

Latest

trump

Videos

01_Lead Story

04_Top Stories

Latest Clips

birthright citizenship

Management

Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.

Tom Ozimek

Arian Pasdar is an international correspondent for NTD News based in South America. His reporting focuses on immigration and key events in Latin America.

Arian Pasdar

02_Second Lead

Executive Branch

Donald Trump

Latest and breaking news, documentaries, movies, and lifestyle content on NTD+.
 
Empower your knowledge and elevate your spirit with NTD+, your go-to destination for truthful news, insightful documentaries, and captivating lifestyle content that enriches your life.

22 States Sue to Block Trump’s Order to End Birthright Citizenship

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (Aug. 12)

Stefania Cox is an NTD News anchor and national correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Stefania anchors "NTD Newsroom," and co-anchors "NTD News Today" weekdays at 10:00 am ET.

Stefania Cox

We present news that is truthful and based on facts, outside of the political fog. Instead of focusing on the negative things happening around us, our mission is to give our viewers a good morning with empathetic and uplifting stories. Our aim is to provide an antidote to negativity by shining a light on the best side of people. We speak to inspiring people who positively impact communities, pursue topics that represent our common human values, and will never miss an opportunity to bring you heartwarming stories.