LINCOLN, Neb. – Today, Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers and colleagues from 17 other states filed a so-called friend-of-the-court brief in support of President Trump’s executive order that seeks to strip certain babies born in the United States of their U.S. citizenship. The amicus brief asks a federal court to reject a motion brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and other immigrants’ rights advocates in a case challenging the executive order.
While the executive order remains temporarily blocked under an order issued by a judge who called it “blatantly unconstitutional” last month, litigation continues with three federal hearings scheduled this week.
Journalists covering Hilgers’ support of the executive order are welcome to use this quote from ACLU of Nebraska Legal Director Rose Godinez:
“Children born in this country are United States citizens. Attorney General Hilgers’ support of the Trump administration’s unlawful executive order is a waste of state resources and deeply harmful. He knows that this order violates the clear text of the U.S. Constitution and more than a century of Supreme Court precedent," Godinez said. "Birthright citizenship is a core piece of our Constitution. We are proud of our ACLU colleagues, clients, as well as the other litigants who are working to expand the temporary injunction and permanently overturn this cruel and unlawful executive order. Contrary to the attorney general’s claims, Nebraskans know that immigrants make our state and our nation stronger.”
