Both legal and political leaders have previously poured cold water on Trump’s pledge, with former Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan saying: “You cannot end birthright citizenship with an executive order.” The “14th Amendment is pretty clear, and that would involve a very, very lengthy constitutional process,” he added.

A federal judge Thursday blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order outlawing birthright citizenship —the policy automatically giving citizenship to anyone born in the U.S.—and declared it “blatantly unconstitutional,” as legal experts widely believe the president does not have the power to change the policy on his own.