Washington AG sues President Trump over birthright citizenship executive order

(The Center Square) – Washington Attorney General Nick Brown has filed a lawsuit against an executive order signed by President Donald Trump the same day as his inauguration that removes birthright citizenship, an act Brown believes “is plainly illegal.”

“What's not in the Constitution is anything saying the president has the authority to decide who is granted citizenship,” he said at a Jan. 21 press conference.

The lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court of Western Washington Court claims that the executive order would impact thousands of children born to illegal immigrants but, due to birthright citizenship, are considered not just legal residents but granted automatic citizenship.

“It would render them undocumented at birth, it could even render them the citizens of no country at all,” Brown said at the press conference.

Trump’s executive order states that merely being born in the U.S. does not grant automatic citizenship status, arguing that the 14th Amendment’s protections for citizens applies to those “subject to the jurisdiction thereof.”

The lawsuit, which includes three other states, is one of many Brown’s office may file against the Trump administration as part of long-term project by Gov. Bob Ferguson, who while serving as the attorney general prepared for litigation in anticipation of Trump’s election in November.

“The Attorney General’s Office has spent the last year preparing for this day,” Brown said in a press release. “Our team has worked closely with colleagues in other states, studied Project 2025 and other documents, and researched case law in order to act swiftly.”

According to Brown, they plan to also file an emergency motion to prevent any federal agency from enforcing the executive order by denying citizenship.

However, at the press conference he said “the bottom line is ... I won't be here every other day. There might be opportunities for us to work collaboratively. But again, my obligation is to protect the people of this state and the laws of this state.”

Another lawsuit has been filed against the executive order in Massachusetts and includes more than a dozen states.