HOUSTON, United States

One dozen US states filed a lawsuit Wednesday accusing President Donald Trump's administration of "illegally imposing" tax hikes on Americans through tariffs.

"By claiming the authority to impose immense and ever-changing tariffs on whatever goods entering the United States he chooses, for whatever reason he finds convenient to declare an emergency, the president has upended the constitutional order and brought chaos to the American economy," said the lawsuit.

Trump imposed the tariffs through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which gives the president authority to enact those powers in response to unusual and extraordinary threats.

The lawsuit was filed by the states of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Vermont.

The suit seeks a court order to halt the tariffs under the IEEPA, saying Trump does not have the self-proclaimed authority to impose the tax hikes and that "Congress never intended it to be used for tariffs."

"In the nearly five decades since the IEEPA was enacted, no other president has imposed tariffs based on the existence of any national emergency, despite global anti-narcotics campaigns spearheaded by the United States and longstanding trade deficits," the lawsuit continued.

Wednesday's lawsuit joins other groups of states that have sued the Trump administration over the imposed tariffs, including a group of small US businesses and the New Civil Liberties Alliance, a civil rights group.

The state of California last week announced its own lawsuit against Trump, arguing that his administration lacked the authority to impose the tariffs and claiming it has caused "irreparable harm to California, its governor, and its residents."

The White House has continued with its stance that trade deficits with other countries constitute a "national emergency."

"Donald Trump promised that he would lower prices and ease the cost of living, but these illegal tariffs will have the exact opposite effect on American families," said New York Attorney General Letitia James in a statement.

"His tariffs are unlawful, and if not stopped, they will lead to more inflation, unemployment and economic damage," added James.

The lawsuit was filed in the US Court of International Trade in New York and also seeks a court order to halt the impending worldwide reciprocal tariffs that were paused earlier this month.