[bubbacluck]

I always thought that there were only two kinds of US citizen, natural born or naturalized. Is there a third way?

[Maverick68]

If the Left tries to steal an election via the courts as it relates to being a “real” American citizen, then it’s time for us to get really nasty....

[conservativejoy]

Nope. The same guys who wrote the Constitution wrote the Naturalization Act of 1790:

The Act also establishes the United States citizenship of certain children of citizens, born abroad, without the need for naturalization: "the children of citizens of the United States that may be born beyond Sea, or out of the limits of the United States, shall be considered as natural born Citizens".

[sourcery]

Is there a third way?

No. The dispute is over which events constitute "naturalization." The correct understanding is that "natural born citizen" is one who would be considered a citizen naturally, without depending on any law. In other words, someone who would be considered a "native" of a country even if that country had no state, and so had no laws defining who is or is not a "citizen."

Someone who is legally a citizen only because of a statute enacted by Congress, but would not be considered a native of the country without that law, is clearly not a "natural born citizen." Few would disagree with that.

The controversy arises over such questions as whether someone who's a citizen because the 14th Amendment defines them to be one (because they were born here to illegal alien parents, for example,) but would not be considered a citizen were there no 14th Amendment and no Acts of Congress declaring them to be a citizen, would qualify as a "natural born citizen."

The "natural" in "natural born citizen" is intended to require that the person be a native American, not just a "citizen." And it has nothing to do with ethnicity or race.

[tet68]

I always thought that there were only two kinds of US citizen, natural born or naturalized. Is there a third way?

Undocumented citizens...

[WhiskeyX]

U.S. citizenship has two broad classes:

1. U.S. Citizen

2. U.S. National

Only U.S. citizens may exercise certain rights in the U.S. Government, whereas U.S. Nationals are restricted to exercising rights within their own territory.

U.S. citizens may be:

1. native born

2. foreign born with U.S. parent/s

3. naturalized foreign born with alien parent/s

Native born U.S. citizens may be:

1. native born in the United States with one or both alien parents

2. natural born in the United States with only U.S. Citizen parents

Natural born U. S. Citizens are:

1. Native born in the United States with only U.S. Citizen parents