Overview
- U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman issued a preliminary injunction on Wednesday that stops the Trump administration from enforcing its August 6, 2026 executive order as to a certified class of children who would lose citizenship under prior rules.
- Boardman wrote that the August order is "almost certainly unconstitutional" as applied to the class because the U.S. Supreme Court’s June ruling already held those children are citizens at birth.
- The injunction bars the State Department, Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration from denying citizenship documents or recognition to class members but allows agencies to keep drafting implementation guidance.
- The lawsuit, brought by immigrant-rights groups including CASA and the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, says the order’s broad terms like "alien enemy" and "commercial transaction" could wrongly strip children of citizenship and create fear and confusion for families.
- The ruling keeps the policy tied up in courts and sets the stage for appeals; the decision follows the Supreme Court’s June 30, 2026 rejection of the administration’s earlier, more sweeping 2025 effort to end birthright citizenship.