A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump's latest effort to restrict birthright citizenship, issuing a preliminary injunction against an executive order intended to target "birth tourism."

U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman in Maryland issued the injunction on Wednesday, stating that the Supreme Court has already affirmed that children born on U.S. soil are citizens. Boardman, appointed by President Joe Biden, wrote in her ruling that "The Supreme Court has spoken: Children in the certified class are ‘citizens at birth.’"

Birthright citizenship, guaranteed by the 14th Amendment ratified in 1868, is the legal right to citizenship for anyone born on U.S. territory, with limited exceptions.

Trump had previously sought to end birthright citizenship with an executive order declaring that children born to individuals residing in the U.S. illegally or temporarily were not American citizens. The Supreme Court struck down that order in June.

In August, the administration issued a more narrowly focused executive order. This order appeared to restrict automatic citizenship for specific groups, including children born to parents with connections to foreign embassies or organizations, or to individuals deemed an "alien enemy" of the United States. The order defined birth tourism as entering the U.S. on a nonimmigrant visa with the express purpose of giving birth on American soil. Such intent is already grounds for visa restrictions if a person seeks a visa specifically to obtain U.S. citizenship for a child.

The order also sought to deny citizenship to children born to adults who "engaged in a commercial transaction to purchase or access birthright citizenship." Families expressed concern that their children could be denied citizenship simply because they purchased flights to the U.S. and became pregnant after their arrival.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit, including immigrant families and advocacy groups such as We Are CASA, the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, and the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection, argued that the executive branch had broadly interpreted who qualifies as an alien enemy, sometimes relying on speculation. They also voiced fears that children could be denied citizenship if an extended family member, but not the parents themselves, had ties to a gang in their home country.

The administration's attorneys contended that the request for an injunction was premature, asserting that federal agencies would use "appropriate measures" based on forthcoming guidance. Judge Boardman rejected this argument, stating that "No matter what the guidance says, the 2026 Executive Order commands agencies to deny citizenship documents to several broad categories of children."

"The White House must recognize it will not succeed in stripping children of their right to citizenship, evading binding court decisions or placing the president’s anti-immigrant agenda above the Constitution," said Shana Khader, legal director at We Are CASA, in a statement. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.