On Thursday, a federal judge temporarily blocked President Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship.
It would have taken effect Feb. 19, after which date, anyone born to two undocumented parents, or even to parents with temporary status, wouldn't be granted U.S. citizenship.
Harris County is home to an estimated 481,000 unauthorized immigrants, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
Many of them have children who were born in the U.S.
"That means that if somebody is here on a visa for work and they have a child, they will be in limbo because if the child is not a U.S. citizen, then they will have to find a visa for that child," local immigration attorney Silvia Mintz said.
The Fourteenth Amendment reads:
"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."
In his executive order, the president argues that because unauthorized immigrants aren't subject to U.S. jurisdiction, the Fourteenth Amendment doesn't apply to them.
"I think some people need to just sit down and read the damn constitution 'cause frankly, if you read it, it's just no question," U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, said.
Just because the executive order has been put on hold doesn't mean it won't ever take effect. The temporary injunction granted Thursday could still be overturned on appeal.
"Obviously, we'll appeal it," Trump said when asked about the judge's ruling. "They put it before a certain judge in Seattle, I guess. There's no surprises with that judge."
The Department of Justice has also ordered groups that get federal funding to stop providing free legal assistance in immigration cases.
This effectively ends a legal program geared toward immigrant children.
"These kids are going to be left with nothing. They will not have access to a lawyer, access to somebody who understands the process," Mintz said.
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