Federal Judge Halts Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order Amid Legal Battle

A federal judge in New Hampshire has temporarily halted President Donald Trump's executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship for certain US residents, as a class-action lawsuit challenging the policy moves forward. The lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of immigrant parents and their children, seeks to overturn the order, which critics argue is unconstitutional and harmful.

The ruling comes just weeks after the US Supreme Court imposed new limits on the issuance of universal injunctions by federal courts. Despite these restrictions, the judge determined that the case could proceed under the revised legal framework. The Trump administration, however, swiftly criticized the decision, calling it an "unlawful attempt to circumvent the Supreme Court's clear order."

"Today's decision is an obvious and unlawful attempt to circumvent the Supreme Court's clear order against universal relief," said White House spokesman Harrison Fields in a statement. "This judge's decision disregards the rule of law by abusing class action certification procedures. The Trump Administration will be fighting vigorously against the attempts of these rogue district court judges to impede the policies President Trump was elected to implement."

The US Constitution guarantees citizenship to anyone born on American soil, but Trump's executive order seeks to exclude children born to undocumented immigrants and foreign visitors. This policy is part of the administration's broader efforts to tighten immigration controls. The class-action lawsuit argues that the order violates constitutional protections and would harm families affected by the restrictions.

The judge's decision also puts a temporary hold on the implementation of the order, which had been set to take effect on July 27 following the Supreme Court's recent ruling. The court's conservative majority had sided with Trump in a 6-3 decision that limited the power of federal judges to issue nationwide injunctions, though it did not address the constitutionality of the birthright citizenship order.

The government now has seven days to appeal the latest ruling. This legal battle is the latest in a series of challenges to Trump's immigration policies, which have faced significant opposition from courts and advocacy groups across the country.