[panthermom]

In 1882, the Congress of the United States had enacted a law, known as the Chinese Exclusion Act, prohibiting persons of the Chinese race from coming into the United States or becoming naturalized U.S. citizens. Chinese immigrants already in the U.S. ,were allowed to stay, but were ineligible for naturalization; and if they left the U.S., they generally could not return.

Wouldn't the fact that they had permission to be in this country make them legal? If you are legal, then I see no reason why you would not get citizenship. We are talking about ILLEGALS.

[Tublecane]

“Wouldn’t the fact that they had permission to be in this country make them legal?”

Yes, they were legal aliens. That case was not about anchor babies, persay. But if you read beyond the facts of the case to the underlying rationale of the decision, you’ll find that the juustices decided that there were only three exceptions to the “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” clause:

1) Diplomats,
2) Members of a hostile occupying force, and
3) Native Americans.

I don’t believe any decision has ever held differently.