The Trump administration's executive order to end birthright citizenship is facing lawsuits in Maine from both the state Attorney General's office and immigrants' rights groups.
Trump's order, published yesterday, says the federal government will no longer issue citizenship documents to children of non-citizens.
A federal lawsuit filed today by Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey and 17 other states accuse the Trump administration of disregarding the 14th Amendment and U.S. Supreme Court precedent.
The American Civil Liberties Union affiliates in Maine and other immigrant rights advocates filed a similar lawsuit.
Harold Solis, a representative from Make the Road New York, one of the Immigrant rights groups suing, says this order is in direct conflict with the 14th Amendment.
"There are moments when the constitution is vague. This is not one of those moments," Solis said.
Cody Wofsy, a representative from the American Civil Liberties Union, says the order is blatantly unconstitutional and he expects the courts to place an injunction to stop the order from going into effect.
"The bottom line here is that this is completely new and unprecedented. There has never been an attempt like this to take away the citizenship of people born in the United States, since the 14th amendment," Wofsy said.
Under the order, children of non-citizens would live under threat of deportation and could potentially be stateless.
Trump's executive order will take effect 30 days after its publication.
