International
Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Order, Calling It Unconstitutional
A federal judge in Seattle has temporarily halted former President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship in the United States, describing the move as “blatantly unconstitutional.”
US District Court Judge John Coughenour issued a restraining order on Thursday after a brief 25-minute hearing, putting the controversial policy on hold for 14 days while legal challenges proceed. The order, which sought to deny citizenship to children born in the US to undocumented or temporary visa-holding parents, was set to apply to children born on or after February 19, according to court filings.
Under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, nearly everyone born on US soil is automatically granted citizenship—a long-standing interpretation that Trump sought to upend. Four states—Washington, Arizona, Illinois, and Oregon—filed a lawsuit seeking to block the order, arguing that the president lacks the authority to amend the Constitution.
During the hearing, Judge Coughenour expressed disbelief at the administration’s justification for the order. “It boggles my mind,” he said, questioning the legal team’s preparation and understanding of constitutional law.
The states challenging the executive order argue that implementing it would result in “immediate and irreparable harm.” The lawsuit stated: “The individuals who are stripped of their United States citizenship will be rendered undocumented, subject to removal or detention, and many will be stateless.”
The Department of Justice (DoJ) defended the order, arguing that the clause “and subject to the jurisdiction thereof” in the 14th Amendment excludes children of non-citizens in the US unlawfully. They claimed the order was a necessary step to address the country’s “broken immigration system” and border challenges. However, the judge found the states’ arguments more compelling, stating that the extraordinary measure of a restraining order was warranted.
Washington State Attorney General Nicholas Brown applauded the ruling. “This decision reinforces the Constitution’s promise and protects vulnerable members of our communities,” he said during a press conference.
Legal experts say the case will likely make its way to the US Supreme Court, as Trump’s administration has signaled plans to appeal. Constitutional scholars have noted that overturning birthright citizenship without a direct constitutional amendment—which requires significant congressional and state approval—is highly improbable.
The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, was enacted to grant citizenship to formerly enslaved individuals and their descendants, solidifying the principle of birthright citizenship. Critics of Trump’s order argue that any effort to undo this foundational protection risks undermining decades of settled legal precedent.
In addition to the lawsuit brought by the four states, 18 other states, the District of Columbia, and San Francisco have joined separate legal challenges. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is also mounting its own case against the order.
For now, the judge’s decision ensures that the policy remains on hold, with its fate resting in the hands of the courts.
The Virgin Islands government has commenced a public consultation on the rights of access to beneficial ownership information, an initiative aimed at enhancing transparency and aligning with evolving international standards. Premier Hon. Natalio D. Wheatley announced the development during the first press conference of 2025 on January 24.
“Last Friday, the government of the Virgin Islands launched its consultation on the rights of access to beneficial ownership information, marking a significant step in our ongoing commitment to transparency and international collaboration,” stated Premier Wheatley.
The consultation comes in the context of global discussions about publicly accessible registers of beneficial ownership. These discussions, particularly between the United Kingdom, its overseas territories, and Crown dependencies, centre on balancing the need for transparency in addressing illicit financial activity with the protection of privacy and prevention of misuse of sensitive information.
Premier Wheatley referenced the recent European Court of Justice ruling, which highlighted the importance of protecting legitimate privacy rights while promoting global transparency efforts. In response, the Virgin Islands is considering a system of access based on legitimate interests, ensuring that access to sensitive information is proportionate and subject to stringent safeguards.
“This shift reflects an evolving understanding of the need to balance transparency and fairness while ensuring that access to sensitive information is purposeful, proportionate, and subject to stringent safeguards,” said Premier Wheatley.
The consultation represents a step towards refining the Virgin Islands’ framework for beneficial ownership information access, in line with international best practices and expectations. It aims to address the challenges associated with implementing a globally consistent approach to beneficial ownership registers.
Premier Wheatley called for stakeholder participation, stating, “Your insights will be vital in shaping a framework that not only addresses the concerns of the global community, but also upholds the integrity of our financial services sector.”
The financial services industry remains a significant contributor to the Virgin Islands’ economy.
WASHINGTON (AP) — United States President Joe Biden on Sunday, January 19, posthumously pardoned black nationalist and Jamaican National Hero Marcus Garvey, who influenced Malcolm X and other civil rights leaders and was convicted of mail fraud in the 1920s. Also receiving pardons were a top Virginia lawmaker and advocates for immigrant rights, criminal justice reform and gun violence prevention.
Congressional leaders had pushed for Biden to pardon Garvey, with supporters arguing that Garvey’s conviction was politically motivated and an effort to silence the increasingly popular leader who spoke of racial pride. After Garvey was convicted, he was deported to Jamaica, where he was born. He died in 1940.
The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr said of Garvey: “He was the first man, on a mass scale and level” to give millions of black people “a sense of dignity and destiny.”
It’s not clear whether Biden, who leaves office Monday, will pardons people who have been criticised or threatened by President-elect Donald Trump.
Issuing pre-emptive pardons — for actual or imagined offences by Trump’s critics that could be investigated or prosecuted by the incoming administration — would stretch the powers of the presidency in untested ways.
Biden has set the presidential record for most individual pardons and commutations issued. He announced on Friday that he was commuting the sentences of almost 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug offences. He also gave a broad pardon for his son Hunter, who was prosecuted for gun and tax crimes.
The president has announced he was commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment just as Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office. In his first term, Trump presided over an unprecedented number of executions, 13, in a protracted timeline during the coronavirus pandemic.
A pardon relieves a person of guilt and punishment. A commutation reduces or eliminates the punishment, but doesn’t exonerate the wrongdoing.
Among those pardoned on Sunday were:
— Don Scott, who is the speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates in a chamber narrowly controlled by Democrats. He was convicted of a drug offence in 1994 and served eight years in prison. He was elected to the Virginia legislature in 2019, and later became the first black speaker.
“I am deeply humbled to share that I have received a Presidential Pardon from President Joe Biden for a mistake I made in 1994 — one that changed the course of my life and taught me the true power of redemption,” Scott said in a statement.
—Immigrant rights activist Ravi Ragbir, who was convicted of a non-violent offence in 2001 and was sentenced to two years in prison and was facing deportation to Trinidad and Tobago.
—Kemba Smith Pradia, who was convicted of a drug offence in 1994 and sentenced to 24 years behind bars. She has since become a prison reform activist. President Bill Clinton commuted her sentence in 2000.
—Darryl Chambers of Wilmington, Delaware, a gun violence prevention advocate who was convicted of a drug offence and sentenced to 17 years in prison. He studies and writes about gun violence prevention.
Biden commuted the sentences of two people:
—Michelle West, who was serving life in prison for her role in a drug conspiracy case in the early 1990s. West has a daughter who has written publicly about the struggle of growing up with a mother behind bars.
—Robin Peoples, who was convicted of robbing banks in northwest Indiana in the late 1990s and was sentenced to 111 years in prison. The White House said in a statement that Peoples would have faced significantly lower sentences today under current laws.
By Colleen Long, Associated Press
The British Virgin Islands’ (BVI) call for greater disaster resilience among Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Caribbean has received formal endorsement from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), and Ministers from Latin America and the Caribbean.
The endorsement came during the Sixth High-Level Meeting on the Implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, held in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis, earlier this month.
BVI Special Envoy and UN Representative Benito Wheatley highlighted the devastating economic toll of extreme weather events on SIDS, exacerbated by climate change. Speaking at the meeting, Wheatley emphasized the financial hurdles these vulnerable nations face in achieving climate resilience.
“Small Island Developing States continue to bear the brunt of hurricanes and extreme weather, yet many are unjustly excluded from concessional financing and grants because they are classified as middle- or high-income countries,” Wheatley said. “This leaves us without the resources needed to build resilience and recover effectively from disasters.”
The meeting’s outcome document echoed Wheatley’s concerns, stating, “The Ministers and Authorities recognized the high and increasing cost of reducing risk to improve human security outcomes and promote climate resilience. In particular, they highlighted the challenge for SIDS classified as middle- and high-income countries that remain vulnerable but ineligible for international development assistance.”
The statement also called for increased investment in adaptation measures, concessional financing, and the integration of multidimensional vulnerabilities into disaster risk reduction strategies.
Nahuel Arenas Garcia, UNDRR Chief for the Americas and the Caribbean, commended the BVI for its leadership in bringing attention to the unique vulnerabilities of SIDS. “Ensuring that SIDS have access to just financing and disaster risk reduction tools is a global responsibility,” Garcia said.
The meeting, chaired by St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Terrance Drew, coincided with the 13th Caribbean Conference on Comprehensive Disaster Management. Delegates strongly encouraged the implementation of early warning systems across the region to mitigate disaster impacts.
The endorsement underscores a growing consensus on the urgent need to address climate vulnerability in SIDS. As Wheatley noted, “The fight for resilience is not just about survival; it’s about justice and sustainability for our future generations.”
The BVI’s advocacy efforts highlight the broader plight of small island nations grappling with the dual challenges of climate change and economic exclusion, a message resonating across the Caribbean and beyond.
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