NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to stop recognizing birthright citizenship, legal challenges have poured in. Several states have filed lawsuits as immigrants’ rights organizations have started to prepare for the future.
It’s meant to be one of the happiest moments in life. On any given day, new life is brought into the world. However, the struggles after birth have become more complicated, especially for those who have qualified for birthright citizenship in the U.S.
Under the 14th Amendment, ratified three years after the Civil War, anyone born in the United States is a citizen.
“The state’s attempt to do the federal government’s bidding under federal jurisdiction sets a very dangerous precedent for all of us — for all Tennesseans,” said Luis Mata with the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC).
Trump ordered federal agencies to stop issuing citizenship documents to U.S.-born children of undocumented mothers or mothers in the country on temporary visas if the father is not a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of birth.
“We all can agree that our immigration system needs updating, but what we are seeing from President Trump and these Executive Orders is that it goes far beyond creating an orderly and dignified immigration system and instead is criminalizing our communities and expanding immigration detention,” Mata explained.
The order to end birthright citizenship has already been met with pushback, as it is being challenged in court as unconstitutional. As of publication, numerous states have filed lawsuits accusing Trump of seeking to eliminate a “well-established and longstanding constitutional principle.”
“As commander in chief, I have no higher responsibility than to defend our country from threats and invasions and that is exactly what I am going to do,” Trump said Monday.
In Tennessee, Governor Bill Lee went on a podcast and said President Trump has been clear when it comes to “deporting criminals” who are in the U.S. without documentation.
“Tennessee thinks that’s the right thing to do,” Lee said. “The governor thinks that’s the right thing to do.”
While President Trump’s order does end birthright citizenship, only the U.S. Supreme Court can determine the application of the 14th Amendment. In the meantime, TIRRC has tried to prepare the community without instilling panic.
