A coalition of 18 US states has filed a lawsuit in federal court to overturn President Donald Trump's executive order aimed at limiting birthright US citizenship.. The move has sparked outrage among civil rights activists and state government leaders, who say the order violates the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution..

CBS News reports this. The lawsuit was filed in Massachusetts, where the plaintiffs argue that federal authorities have long interpreted the 14th Amendment as a guarantee of citizenship for everyone born in the United States..

The plaintiffs insist on the immediate termination of the decree and ask the court to finally declare it illegal.

Trump's executive order, signed on the first day of his presidency, provides for an overhaul of the process for granting citizenship to children born in the United States.. According to the document, passports and citizenship certificates will not be issued to children whose parents are in the country illegally or do not have permanent resident status.. This initiative became part of the Trump administration's tough immigration policies..

The 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, invoked by the plaintiffs, declares that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States are citizens of the United States and of the state in which they reside.”.

New York Attorney General Letitia James emphasized that this right, established after the Civil War, is the cornerstone of American democracy and the promise of equal opportunity for everyone born on this earth..

States joined in the lawsuit include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin, as well as. California Attorney General Rob Bonta called the decree “blatantly unconstitutional” and emphasized that its implementation is fraught with the fundamental rights of children already born in the United States.

In addition to the coalition's lawsuit, four other states—Illinois, Arizona, Washington and Oregon—filed a separate lawsuit in Washington state to also challenge the legality of Trump's order.. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul noted the importance of common-sense, bipartisan immigration reforms, but said eliminating birthright citizenship, twice upheld by the Supreme Court, is not an acceptable solution..

– The inauguration of the 47th American leader took place on January 20. The new head of the United States signed a decree withdrawing the state from the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organization.

– He also suspended US foreign aid programs. According to CNN, Trump instructed aides to organize a telephone conversation with Putin in the first days after the inauguration.