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22 Democratic-led states sue over Trump’s birthright citizenship order
After his inauguration on Monday, Trump, a Republican, ordered U.S. agencies to refuse to recognise the citizenship of children born in the U.S. if neither their mother nor father is a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident.
Twenty-two Democratic-led states along with the District of Columbia and the city of San Francisco filed a pair of lawsuits in federal courts in Boston and Seattle asserting Trump had violated the U.S. Constitution.
Two similar cases were filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, immigrant organisations, and an expectant mother in the hours after Trump signed the executive order, kicking off the first major court fight of his administration.
The lawsuits take aim at a central piece of Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown.
If allowed to stand, Trump’s order would for the first time deny more than 150,000 children born annually in the United States the right to citizenship, said the office of Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell.
“President Trump does not have the authority to take away constitutional rights,” she said in a statement.
Losing out on citizenship would prevent those individuals from having access to federal programs like Medicaid health insurance and, when they become older, from working lawfully or voting, the states say.
“Today’s immediate lawsuit sends a clear message to the Trump administration that we will stand up for our residents and their basic constitutional rights,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a statement.
The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
More lawsuits by Democratic-led states and advocacy groups challenging other aspects of Trump’s agenda are expected, with cases already on file challenging the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency and an order Trump signed weakening job protections for civil servants.
Three of the four lawsuits were filed in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Any rulings from judges in those New England states would be reviewed by the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the only federal appeals court whose active judges are all Democratic appointees.
Four states filed a separate case in Washington state, which the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has jurisdiction over. U.S. District Judge John Coughenour in Seattle has scheduled a Thursday hearing on whether he should issue a temporary restraining order blocking enforcement of Trump’s order.
A fifth lawsuit was filed in federal court in Maryland by a group of pregnant women and immigrant rights groups including CASA.
The various lawsuits argue that Trump’s executive order violated the right enshrined in the Citizenship Clause of the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment that provides that anyone born in the United States is considered a citizen.
The complaints cite the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1898 ruling in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, a decision holding that children born in the United States to non-citizen parents are entitled to U.S. citizenship.
The plaintiffs challenging the order include a woman living in Massachusetts identified only as “O. Doe” who is in the country through temporary protected status and is due to give birth in March.
Temporary protected status is available to people whose home countries have experienced natural disasters, armed conflicts, or other extraordinary events and currently covers more than 1 million people from 17 nations.
Several other lawsuits challenging aspects of Trump’s other early executive actions are pending.
The National Treasury Employees Union, which represents federal government employees in 37 agencies and departments, late on Monday filed a lawsuit challenging an order Trump signed that makes it easier to fire thousands of federal agency employees and replace them with political loyalists. (Reuters/NAN)
President Bola Tinubu has mandated the formation of a Presidential Task Force aimed at eliminating numerous checkpoints that impede free movement.
Ambassador Musa Nuhu, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to ECOWAS, revealed this initiative during a visit to the Nigeria-Benin Republic border in Seme on Wednesday.
“We are commencing with the Seme-Badagry Corridor. A committee has been established under the auspices of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and we will soon begin addressing this matter.
“We have taken note of all the concerns raised, and I assure you that the Nigerian government will tackle the other issues mentioned subsequently.”
Numerous complaints have surfaced regarding the excessive checkpoints along the Badagry-Seme corridor, which adversely affect the seamless movement of individuals and goods between Nigeria and the Benin Republic.
Ambassador Nuhu emphasized, “This is the most trafficked border in West Africa regarding the flow of goods, people, and services. If free movement is to be effectively implemented in West Africa, it will be evident at this border.”
Motorists attending the meeting expressed their frustrations about the numerous checkpoints and the extortion practices by security personnel along the route.
In response, Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, stated that any fees paid by motorists should be accompanied by official receipts.
He expressed concern that the proliferation of checkpoints and the extortion of citizens within member states undermine ECOWAS’s goal of fostering a more integrated region.
“While we must inspect passengers and road users, we should move beyond arbitrary charges that lack receipts. If payments are necessary, they should be properly documented.
“It is one thing to request that someone open their bags for inspection, but it is entirely different to demand payment that is not receipted.”
The suspects were apprehended for selling prohibited exotic birds and wild animals contrary to the provisions of the Endangered Species Act.
The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), in collaboration with the National Park Service, has arrested three persons over alleged illegal trade in endangered wildlife species in Abuja.
This was disclosed in a statement on Wednesday by NESREA’s Assistant Director of Press, Nwamaka Ejiofor.
The suspects, identified as Musa Usman, Samila Abdullahi, and Saidu Jagaban, were arrested in different parts of the country’s capital.
According to her, the suspects were apprehended for selling prohibited exotic birds and wild animals, contrary to the provisions of the Endangered Species Act.
She stated that Usman and Abdullahi were found with 15 Senegalese parrots and one African grey parrot, while Jagaban was arrested for hawking three dead antelopes.
“The suspects were arrested in different parts of the city for the illegal sale of prohibited exotic birds and wild animals, contrary to the provisions of the Endangered Species Act,” the statement read in part.
“The trio is to remain in custody while investigation continues.”
NESREA Director-General, Innocent Barikor, reiterated that trafficking in endangered species remained a crime under Nigerian laws, and anyone caught culpable would be prosecuted accordingly.
Barikor emphasised on the need to protect endangered species, under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), to which Nigeria is a signatory.
He added that all living things play different roles in ensuring biodiversity sustainability.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday warned against the creation of a one-party state, saying any nation that must practice it must do so carefully and with a well-planned process and projected outcome.
He stated this in Abuja while paying tribute to the late elder statesman, Edwin Clark, at a memorial lecture and day of tribute.
Jonathan warned that any attempt to bring about a one-party state through political machinations to soothe only personal aspirations will be detrimental to the country.
The former president also called on the family of the late former federal commissioner to, among other things, set up a yearly memorial lecture in his honour to continue to push his ideas and what he stood for, which is a united, equitable, and prosperous Nigeria.
On his part, the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, lamented that the labour of our heroes past was already in vain.
The former Anambra State governor highlighted the endemic poverty in rural areas, the state of insecurity, and the rising cost of living.
He maintained that the labour of people like Pa Edwin Clark had not paid off, as the sacrifices people like Pa Clark made were in vain today.
The chairman on the occasion and former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, said that the task of ensuring that Nigeria remains united and indivisible must be ensured by all, as the nation could only make progress if national interest was put before any personal interest.