New Jersey residents rally against Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship

HACKENSACK, N.J. — Residents in Hackensack gathered Tuesday to protest President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship.

The order impacts future babies born in the United States whose mothers are either in the U.S. on a temporary status, like a student or work visa, or unlawfully in the country.

New Jersey’s attorney general is leading over a dozen states in a federal lawsuit to block Trump’s order, arguing it is unconstitutional.

“It’s an assault on the very text of the Constitution, a right that our nation made sure to codify in the 14th Amendment,” Attorney General Matthew Platkin said.  

“We have our lives fully established here”

Isela, a 24-year-old from New Jersey, is what’s known as a Dreamer; her parents brought her to the U.S. from Mexico when she was 2 years old.

Under Trump’s executive order, if Isela were to have a child in the U.S., that baby would not be considered a U.S. citizen.

“I graduated Rutgers a year ago,” she said. “We have our lives fully established here … I don’t know how we would be able to maintain a family.”

Isela joined her neighbors in a rally Tuesday against the Laken Riley Act, which already passed the Senate and is expected to be voted on in the House this week.

The legislation would require Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain undocumented immigrants who are arrested for burglary or theft, even before conviction.

“That means if I suspect somebody of shoplifting or stealing change at the laundromat when I’m washing my children’s clothes, that I could be subject to indefinite detention,” said Nedia Morsy, deputy director of Make the Road NJ.

Border czar Tom Homan vows migrants who commit crimes will be deported.

“The president has been clear on this, we’re going to concentrate on public safety threats,” he said. “This election proves that the American people support the removal of criminal aliens in this country.”