Birthright Citizenship

Does the U.S. Constitution require that all people born in the U.S. have a right to U.S. citizenship? Rigorous documentation of all facts in this video is available at https://www.justfactsdaily.com/birthright-citizenship-debate/

TRANSCRIPT

How much do you really know about birthright citizenship?

A major point of controversy is whether US born children of illegal immigrants and temporary visitors should automatically be granted US citizenship. Is this a Constitutional right or not?

Let’s take a closer look with Just Facts’ question of the week.

Does the 14th Amendment award U.S. citizenship to all people born in the U.S.? Yes or No? The correct answer is “No.”

In addition to being born in the United States, the 14th Amendment requires people to be subject to the jurisdiction of the United States in order to become citizens.

The congressional record brings even more clarity. Jacob Howard, the U.S. Senator who proposed this language, stated, “This will not, of course, include persons born in the United States who are foreigners, aliens, who belong to the families of ambassadors or foreign ministers accredited to the Government of the United States, but will include every other class of persons.”

Howard also said, “the word ‘jurisdiction,’ as here employed, ought to be construed as to imply a full and complete jurisdiction on the part of the United States …. that is to say, the same jurisdiction in extent and quality as applies to every citizen of the United States now.”

The 14th Amendment was adopted to guarantee that the Civil Rights Act of 1866 was constitutional. This law gave citizenship to people of every race and color “without regard to any previous condition of slavery or involuntary servitude….” It’s important to note, that This Civil Rights Act also explicitly excludes people who are “subject to any foreign power….”

You can verify the primary sources by clicking the link in the description.

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