The president said he expects an imminent challenge of the order in court.
President Donald Trump on Monday, in one of his first official acts as president, signed an executive order ending birthright citizenship.
Earlier, Trump acknowledged in comments that the order could be controversial and that he was expecting an imminent legal challenge.
Birthright citizenship has been enshrined in the U.S. Constitution since the 1898 Supreme Court case United States v. Wong Kim Ark.
Trump said that automatic citizenship was âjust ridiculousâ and that he believed he was on âgood [legal] groundâ to change it.
âThatâs a big one,â he bantered with reporters while signing an order declaring the border emergency.
Days after he was elected in November, Trump confirmed he would sign such an emergency declaration. During his campaign, he would often cite illegal immigration as a major problem plaguing the country, adding that he would take other measures to curb the phenomenon.
Trump said he favors legal immigration as he signed orders declaring the national emergency on the U.S.-Mexico border, while also superseding refugee resettlement.
Trump also told reporters that immigrant labor was needed for investment, which he anticipates will accompany his increase in tariffs. âIâm fine with legal immigration. I like it. We need people,â he said.
Trump recaptured the White House, in part, after promising to intensify border security and deport record numbers of immigrants in the United States illegally. Republicans and Trump said that large-scale deportations are necessary after millions of immigrants crossed illegally during former President Joe Bidenâs presidency.
âAll illegal entry will be immediately halted … and we will begin the process of returning criminal illegal aliensâ from where they came, he said, adding that he will send troops to the southern border to repel the âdisastrous invasionâ of the United States.
Trump also said he will issue other orders targeting illegal immigration, including invoking the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 and declaring Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. Other actions he will take include ending the practice of âcatch-and-release,â allowing illegal immigrants to enter the United States to pursue asylum.
There were roughly 11 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally or with a temporary status at the start of 2022, according to a U.S. government estimateâa figure that some analysts now place at 13 million to 14 million.
âTurn Back Nowâ
Also Monday, Trumpâs deputy chief of staff for policy warned that illegal immigrants who are aiming to enter the United States should not make the attempt.
On Monday, the Trump administration also confirmed that it ended the CBP One app and canceled all forthcoming appointments for illegal immigrants who had sought to enter the United States via ports of entry.
âAs we ready litigation and create firewalls for freedom across blue states, we must also sound the alarm that whatâs on the horizon will change the very nature of American life for tens of millions of Americans,â the ACLU said in a statement at the time.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Original News Source Link – Epoch Times
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