BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The legal battle comes as various organizations, from healthcare providers to educational institutions, brace for potential impacts on the communities they serve.
- Attorneys general from over a dozen states, including California, have filed a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to non-citizen parents.
- U.S. District Judge John Coughenour has scheduled a 10 a.m. PT hearing on Thursday to consider issuing a temporary restraining order against the Trump administration from enforcing the executive order. Coughenour is an appointee of former President Ronald Reagan.
Attorneys general from over a dozen states, including California, have filed a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to non-citizen parents. The legal battle comes as various organizations, from healthcare providers to educational institutions, brace for potential impacts on the communities they serve.
U.S. District Judge John Coughenour has scheduled a 10 a.m. PT hearing on Thursday to consider issuing a temporary restraining order against the Trump administration from enforcing the executive order. Coughenour is an appointee of former President Ronald Reagan.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta condemned the executive order, saying it threatens not only the rights of immigrants but also crucial federal funding for services like healthcare and education. On Monday, Bonta warned that the order could jeopardize funding for programs that support medical care, early childhood education, and other vital services.
“California will lose critical funding for programs that thousands of people rely on, including medical,” Bonta said.
RELATED: Federal judge to hear lawsuit challenging Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship
Trump’s executive order disputes the interpretation of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to all individuals born in the U.S., regardless of their parents' immigration status. Under the proposed changes, it would exclude those who’s mothers are not legally in the U.S. and who’s fathers are not U.S. citizens, as well as those who’s mothers are in the U.S. lawfully but on a temporary basis and who’s fathers are not U.S. citizens.
As the lawsuit progresses, organizations such as the Social Security Administration, Medi-Cal, and Covered California are closely monitoring the situation for further guidance, particularly on how it might affect federal subsidies and assistance programs.
“The thing we’re mostly watching is the financial assistance that we make available to our members. The majority of that is the premium subsidies that help lower the monthly costs that are funded through the federal government,” Covered California Executive Director Jessica Altman explained.
Altman added that following changes made last November allowing DACA recipients to access healthcare coverage, the state saw its highest enrollment to date, and they expect this trend to continue in the current enrollment period.
Meanwhile, DACA recipients are also facing potential disruptions on college campuses, as federal immigration authorities prepare to enforce new policies permitting agents to carry out operations at schools and churches.
“This is about principles — no more important principle than those enshrined in our Constitution," said Bonta. "If you’re not going to fight for those, what are you going to fight for?”
In response to the heightened immigration enforcement, Cal State Bakersfield has issued a campus referendum providing students and staff with guidance on how to respond if approached or detained by immigration officials.
President Trump's executive order is scheduled to go into effect Feb. 19. The order would not impact the legal status of children born prior to Feb. 19.
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