Mitch McCann: US Correspondent on the legal action against Donald Trump for his order blocking birthright citizenship

Donald Trump is once again facing legal action, this time over his immigration plans. 

The US President is wanting to stop issuing citizenship documents for US-born children, whose mothers are in the country illegally and temporarily, and whose father isn't a US citizen or resident. 

But more than 20 states have since sued Trump over the scheme. 

US correspondent Mitch McCann told Francesca Rudkin they argue it's illegal under the 14th Amendment that guarantees birthright citizenship. 

He says it's due to take effect in around four weeks but will probably be delayed as it's held up in court. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Mitch McCann is with me now from the US. Mitch,
the birthright citizenship rule seems to be very controversial. I
can see that twenty two states are already suing the
administration over plans to bring this into action.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Yeah, that's right. Good morning, Francisca from New York. This
is extremely controversial. Donald Trump is trying to end birthright
citizenship here in the United States. So if you are
born in the US at the moment, you automatically get
citizenship and a US passport. That's the way it's been
for a very very long time. Donald Trump is trying
to change that for people that are born with parents

(00:36):
who are here illegally. So he's part of his crackdown
on illegal immigration. Now, twenty two states have sued Donald
Trump saying this is illegal because of the fourteenth Amendment
to the US Constitution that guarantees birthright citizenship. So this
will take effect in about twenty seven twenty eight days
from now, although it probably will be delayed as it's

(00:58):
held up in the course. But this is just one
of many measures Donald Trump has enacted in terms of
illegal immigration. So if we look at some very quickly,
he's declared a border emergency at the southern border. He's
changed laws which mean that ICE agents, this is immigration
enforcement agents can make arrests or conduct raids now in

(01:19):
places like hospitals or churches or schools, whereas previously they
weren't able to do that. And in the last hour,
we have learned that the US Justice Department has ordered
prosecutors around the country to investigate and prosecute law enforcement
officials if they refuse to enforce Donald Trump's new rules.
So they'll be keeping a close eye in all local

(01:40):
police and law enforcement agencies to make sure they're doing
what Donald Trump's telling them to do.

Speaker 1 (01:45):
And match just quickly. You got an arctic blast pounding
the stated Francisca.

Speaker 2 (01:50):
It's so cold at the moment right now in New
York it is minus eight degrees celsius and it's lunchtime. Yeah,
it's cold, and it's particularly cold for some of these
states that aren't new to the call of weather, places
like Texas, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. More than one hundred
and thirty thousand homes in those states, as well as businesses,
are without power because it's freezing there as well. There

(02:12):
is no escape. The only warm weather, it seems, is
where you are back home.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
Thank you so much much, nice to catch up with you.
That was Mitch McCann. For more from Early Edition with
Ryan Bridge.

Speaker 2 (02:23):
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