BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown on Tuesday announced that he has joined 18 other states in filing a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of an executive order issued by the federal government that seeks to end birthright citizenship in the United States.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, argues that the executive order violates the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Section 1401 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which guarantees citizenship to all individuals born on American soil. The states are seeking to invalidate the order and prevent its implementation.

“Birthright citizenship is a right enshrined in our Constitution,” said Attorney General Brown in a statement. “It is a reflection of our country’s ideals, a belief that every baby born on U.S. soil is a member of our great nation and deserves to play a part in its future. Ending birthright citizenship is un-American, and our Office will vigorously challenge this blatantly unconstitutional decision in court.”

The executive order, issued on Monday, contradicts a long-standing legal precedent upholding birthright citizenship. The Fourteenth Amendment, adopted after the Civil War, specifically overturned the Dred Scott decision, which denied citizenship to descendants of slaves. The U.S. Supreme Court has twice upheld birthright citizenship for babies regardless of their parents’ immigration status.

The lawsuit emphasizes the “potential harm” to hundreds of thousands of American children who could be stripped of their citizenship and face the threat of deportation. The loss of citizenship could entail losing access to federal benefits, Social Security numbers, the ability to work legally, and the right to vote or hold public office.

The states argue that the executive order also harms their interests by jeopardizing federal funding for programs like Medicaid and foster care, which are partially based on the immigration status of recipients. States will immediately modify benefits programs to account for this change, with no notice and at their expense. The lawsuit asserts that the states should not bear the costs of implementing this order, which they deem unconstitutional.

Maryland is joined in the lawsuit by New Jersey, Massachusetts, California, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Michigan, Colorado, Delaware, Nevada, Hawaii, Maine, Minnesota, New Mexico, Vermont, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Washington D.C., and San Francisco.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

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