Attorney General Jeff Jackson has gained support from North Carolina, as well as over 20 other Democratic-led states, two cities and several advocacy groups, to sue President Donald Trump over his recently issued executive order. The executive order, titled “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship,” could prevent children born to undocumented immigrant parents in the United States after Feb. 19, 2025 from receiving citizenship.

For over a century, birthright citizenship has been a constitutional mandate under the 14th Amendment, including for children of migrants, with extremely limited exceptions.

As of Wednesday, Feb. 4, a federal judge has indefinitely blocked the implementation of the executive order, but Trump’s bold steps make it unclear where the courts will limit Trump’s power— and if he will adhere to such. 

Trump’s Anti-Immigration History

The executive order was one of the first policy changes issued by Trump’s administration since his inauguration and is just one component of Trump’s multipronged effort to curb immigration. 

Since his first successful campaign in the 2016 presidential election, when he led chants supporting the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, the question of immigration has loomed large over Trump’s political career. Both the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee said they wanted to “SEAL THE BORDER AND STOP THE MIGRANT INVASION” in their respective platforms for 2024. 

Since assuming office for a second term just two weeks ago, Trump has already taken sweeping actions to both crack down on unauthorized immigration and erode existing pathways for legal immigration. These strategies have so far included:

• Halting new arrivals of refugees, which has affected 10,000 candidates seeking asylum who had already been vetted and cleared for resettlement.
• Blocking federal funding for resettlement programs, including for World Relief Triad, the organization that supports refugees in Winston-Salem and High Point.
• Deploying 1,500 active-duty troops to patrol the southern border to prevent unauthorized crossings.
• Canceling scheduled appointments for those seeking asylum at the southern border.
• Authorizing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to increase arrests of undocumented immigrants, including by eliminating the agency’s precedent of avoiding operations in “sensitive areas” including schools, hospitals and places of worship. 
• Ending Temporary Protected Status for 300,000 Venezuelan emigrants. The federal government had previously shielded these individuals from repatriation due to the current political, economic and humanitarian crises in Venezuela. 
• Planning to expand the use of facilities at Guantanamo Bay to detain undocumented migrants. The controversial U.S. naval base in Cuba is best known for the ongoing incarceration of suspected terrorists without charge or conviction.

Trump typically identifies immigrants with criminal records as the main targets of his anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies. Supporters point to high-profile crimes committed by undocumented immigrants, most notably the murder of Laken Riley. In February 2024, an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant assaulted and killed Riley, who was a student at the University of Georgia. Despite evidence that immigrants commit crimes at lower rates than citizens, Riley’s death and similar cases have become rallying cries to tighten restrictions. 

Others raise the question of strained public resources. Since the largest wave of immigration in American history began in 2021, major cities and smaller towns alike have struggled to meet the needs of their new residents. 

The state of immigrant communities in Winston-Salem and North Carolina

The future legal status of unborn children who would have been considered citizens under previous precedent is increasingly unclear. The attorneys general noted in their lawsuit that these children will be vulnerable to deportation and statelessness.

The Trump administration’s campaigns could have serious effects in North Carolina. An estimated 325,000 undocumented immigrants reside throughout the state, around 37% of North Carolina’s total foreign-born population. No ICE raids have been reported in the Piedmont Triad so far since Trump’s inauguration, but many who work with local immigrant communities fear that enforcement stings may come to the area soon.

In response to mounting worries among immigrant families, Guilford County Schools and Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools have both reassured parents that the districts do not collect information about students’ immigration statuses. They also emphasized that ICE officers are not permitted in educational facilities without a valid federal warrant.

Considering institutions of higher education, an estimated 8,010 undocumented students attend colleges and universities in North Carolina. Wake Forest’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion website states that the University works with undocumented students “to ensure that they are able to continue their studies,” including by protecting private information and offering institutional financial support to those who are ineligible for federal student aid. 

The Office of Academic Advising, Scholars Office, Intercultural Center, University Counseling Center and Office of the Chaplain stated they are also prepared to be resources for undocumented Wake Forest students.