WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Attorney General Karl A. Racine joined a coalition of 12 attorneys general in telling the Trump administration that it has no authority to block two young immigrant women in federal custody from obtaining abortions.

Late Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union filed papers in federal court to stop the Trump administration from preventing the two women from obtaining abortions. Judge Tanya S. Chutkan of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia is hearing arguments in the case this morning.

“The United States Constitution guarantees all women the right to access an abortion, including unaccompanied minor immigrants,” said the coalition of attorneys general. “Forcing women to remain pregnant against their will is cruel, inhumane, and entirely illegal. The federal government has no authority to deny these women access to abortion services and we are confident that federal courts will overwhelmingly agree. We will not allow this administration to prey on young and vulnerable women in pursuit of a radical anti-abortion agenda. We will continue to fight alongside our allies to ensure these women receive the justice they deserve.”

The coalition was led by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. In addition to Attorney General Racine, it includes the attorneys general of New York, California, Connecticut, Iowa, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Vermont – together representing over 110 million Americans.

In October, a coalition of attorneys general filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in Garza v. Hargan, in support of Jane Doe, a 17-year-old unaccompanied minor in federal custody who was seeking an abortion. The D.C. Circuit then overruled the Trump administration and cleared the way for Jane to obtain her abortion.