A US federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from enforcing its most recent executive order restricting birthright citizenship.
Authorities are "barred from taking any other action to interfere with, deny, or fail to recognise the citizenship of any member of the certified class," the US District Court for the District of Maryland wrote in its ruling.
The nationwide injunction applies directly to major federal departments, including the State Department, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Homeland Security.
Whilst enforcement of the order remains frozen, the court noted that the government may continue issuing public guidance related to specific sections of the policy.
Executive restrictions
The 2026 executive order sought to expand categories of individuals deemed ineligible for automatic citizenship and targeted what the administration described as "birth tourism".
The judicial block follows a June decision by the US Supreme Court, which struck down an earlier attempt by the administration to terminate birthright citizenship.
In that ruling, Chief Justice John Roberts affirmed that the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution protects all children born on American soil, establishing that automatic citizenship cannot be unilaterally altered through executive action.
