Attorneys general from 22 states and two cities sued President Donald Trump in two district courts Tuesday to challenge an executive order instructing U.S. agencies not to recognize the citizenship of children born to immigrant parents who are not themselves citizens, an effort to unilaterally eliminate the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of birthright citizenship.
The order, which asserts that such children are not "subject to the jurisdiction" of the United States and thus aren't protected by the 14th Amendment, also includes the children of some mothers in the country legally but under temporary status, such as foreign students and tourists. Without citizenship, they would be blocked from working, voting and accessing federal programs like Medicaid.
