The “birthright citizenship” interpretation championed by the left (and, let’s face it: it was the left that trotted out that misappplication of the 14th) is rebutted by posing this simple question:
If a pregnant member of an invading army (say, for the purpose of illustration, a nurse with the Chinese military) delivers her spawn while serving with an invading Chinese force, would that baby thus be entitled to automatic ‘birthright citizenship?’ Of course not. And neither should the spawn of an invading Mexican or any other nationality.
http://judiciary.house.gov/legacy/6042.htm
Senator Jacob Howard, the author of the citizenship clause in the Fourteenth Amendment, defined who would fall within the “jurisdiction of the United States”:
[E]very person born within the limits of the United States, and subject to their jurisdiction, is by virtue of natural law and national law a citizen of the United States. 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. It settles the great question of citizenship and removes all doubt as to what persons are or are not citizens of the United States. This has long been a great desideratum in the jurisprudence and legislation of this country.