Attorneys general from 18 Democratic-led states sued President Trump on Tuesday to block an executive order that refuses to recognise the US-born children of unauthorised immigrants as citizens, the opening salvo in what promises to be a long legal battle over the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
The complaint, filed in federal district court in Massachusetts was joined by the cities of San Francisco and Washington, DC. The states view Trump’s attempt to limit birthright citizenship as “extraordinary and extreme,” said New Jersey attorney general Matthew Platkin, who led the legal effort along with the attorneys general from California and Massachusetts. “Presidents are powerful, but he is not a king. He cannot rewrite the constitution with a stroke of the pen.”
The lawsuit followed a pair of similar cases filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, immigrant organisations and an expectant mother in the hours after Trump signed the executive order.
The White House did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
