MN AG Ellison joins lawsuit over Trump birthright citizenship order

Attorneys general in 20 states, including Minnesota, filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday to block President Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship.

20 states sue Trump over birthright citizenship order

The backstory:

President Trump signed nearly 100 executive orders on Inauguration Day, including one that ends birthright citizenship for some children.

The order, which the president signed hours after taking office, orders federal agencies to not recognize automatic citizenship of anyone born to mothers not legally in the U.S., and whose fathers were not citizens of lawful permanent residents. It also ends birthright citizenship for those born to mothers who were in the country on a legal but temporary basis and whose fathers were not citizens or legal permanent residents.

What they're saying:

"For Donald Trump to say it’s not the policy is pretty alarming," said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who joined the lawsuit as a plaintiff. "Birthright citizenship is the law of the land. It’s the way it is. It’s our country. And you got to change the Constitution if you want to change that."

It is unclear what the order could mean for the estimated 81,000 undocumented immigrants in Minnesota. It is also unclear whether the order would take effect retroactively.

"It is sort of just ongoing uncertainty, and that is, in some ways, almost worse than certainty…." said Julia Decker, the policy director at Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota. "It [birthright citizenship] is something that confers a lot of benefits to somebody. And to sort of unilaterally just have that swept out from under us in this way – in this attempted way – is obviously a very big thing."

Why you should care:

Ellison and other critics of the order said it would block those impacted from obtaining a Social Security card and having the right to vote. It would also subject them to deportation, they said.

What The Law Says :

The 14th Amendment to the Constitution guarantees that anyone born in the United States is automatically a citizen. The amendment, which was ratified in 1868, did not apply to Native Americans until 1924.

What's next:

The order takes effect on Feb. 19. It is unclear how long the legal challenge will take.

The Source: Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison; Julia Decker, policy director, Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota; President Trump’s executive order

PoliticsDonald J. TrumpKeith Ellison