Washington DC – The legal backlash to US President Donald Trump’s second term has begun, with human rights groups and state governments launching an early attack against the Republican president’s first-day term. resolution To reform birthright citizenship.

Late Monday, organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit calling Trump’s actions unconstitutional, in a case that is likely to test the limits of his executive authority.

On Tuesday, 18 states also filed a similar lawsuit seeking to invalidate the order.

The filings represent just two of several legal challenges Trump is set to face related to the 26 executive orders he signed on Monday, shortly after his inauguration.

On top of seeking to end birthright citizenship — the policy of granting U.S. citizenship to all people born in the United States — Trump also signed orders declaring a national emergency at the southern border, eliminating federal diversity programs and ending federal recognition of transgender identity. .

According to the White House OfficialsThese were 26 of 42 executive orders Presidential actions On his first day, Trump delivered memos and statements.

In a statementCody Wofci, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Immigrant Rights Project, argues that Trump’s decision to target birthright citizenship runs counter to protections guaranteed under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

“Birthright citizenship is guaranteed in our Constitution and is absolutely fundamental to what America stands for,” said Wosey, the lead attorney in the ACLU case.

“Denying children born on American soil citizenship is illegal, extremely cruel, and contrary to our values ​​as a nation.”

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta also criticized Trump for starting his second term “by overturning one of our country’s long-standing foundational rights and ignoring the document that governs our country.”

“I have one message for President Trump: I will see you in court,” Bonta said.

“The cornerstone of our democracy”

Trump ordered will Denial of citizenship For children born on US soil to undocumented parents or those on temporary work visas. It also requires federal government agencies not to issue or accept documents “recognizing United States citizenship” to children born to these parents.

The question here is the interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment, which was ratified in 1868. It states that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.”

Trump’s executive order claims that those born to undocumented parents or those on temporary visas are not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States and are therefore excluded from citizenship.

But the American Civil Liberties Union and other rights groups say this contradicts Supreme Court precedent. In 1898, the Supreme Court ruled that children born in the United States to immigrant parents were in fact entitled to US citizenship.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of three organizations “whose members whose children are born on U.S. soil will be denied citizenship under the order.”

“Birthright citizenship is a cornerstone of our democracy,” said Theo Oshiro, co-executive director of Make the Road New York, one of the plaintiff organizations.

“Our members, who come from all over the world, have created vibrant communities, loving families, and built this country for generations,” he added. “Denying their children the same basic rights as all other children born in the United States is an affront to the core values ​​of justice, equality, and inclusion.” .

At a news conference on Tuesday, Bonta also cited concerns that Trump’s order would not only violate the U.S. Constitution but also the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act.

“I want to make clear that this is not a theoretical legal dispute between me and the president,” Bonta said He said. He added: “If this order is allowed to stand, it will endanger thousands of American citizens who will be born next year, who are real children and families who are just trying to live their lives in peace.”

Bonta continued that people who are stripped of their US citizenship under this order will lose the ability to work legally in the United States, obtain passports and access other government services.

“Children will be forced to live under the threat of deportation, and the fear, anxiety and trauma caused by that alone is significantly damaging to their mental and emotional well-being,” Bonta said.

DOGE, Federal Employment Actions

Lawsuits against executive actions can result in orders being delayed, curtailed, or deemed beyond the scope of presidential authority. Many measures can only be enacted through congressional legislation.

In cases where executive orders make their way through lower courts and end up in the U.S. Supreme Court, the resulting decisions can shape constitutional interpretations of the scope of executive power.

Besides the birthright citizenship claim, Trump has also faced challenges to other executive orders he signed on his first day in office. He is expected to face a series of legal actions in the coming weeks.

Late Monday, for example, the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) launched a legal challenge to Trump’s order making it easier to fire career employees in the federal government, Bloomberg News reported.

In a statement to Bloomberg, NTEU National President Doreen Greenwald charged that Trump’s order “is about administering political loyalty tests to rank-and-file employees in the federal workforce who have sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution and serve their country.”

NTEU said that would be a violation of the Civil Service Code.

Another lawsuit filed by the law firm National Security Advisors accused the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which was formally created by Trump’s executive order on Monday, of violating the pre-existing law.

Trump created DOGE to cut government bureaucracy and spending, as a non-governmental agency. He took advantage of the billionaire Elon Musk To turn it on.

But the lawsuit claims that DOGE will act as a government “federal advisory committee” and therefore must follow certain rules regarding disclosures and employment.