[Bad Jack Bauer]

What requirement would you base American citizenship on if not this? I think that everyone born on American soil is in fact an American. As American as you or I. I do not believe that this should bestow any rights upon the parents though. My view is, the baby stays, they HAVE to go. If they do decide to leave they have the right to take the baby with them if they renounce the baby’s citizenship forever.

[pgyanke]

Funny. I thought we could follow the law as it was intended. You see, only those born on our soil to parents subject to our jurisdiction are automatically citizens. Does it make sense to you that foreigners on holiday at Disney World have American citizen children? How about foreign diplomats... are their children citizens of our country rather than their own?

The law is actually fairly clear on the subject (as was the Congressional debate at its passing) yet lawyers have argued it into a legal pretzel. And even FReepers fall for hollow reasoning...

[Isabel C.]

What requirement would you base American citizenship on if not this? I think that everyone born on American soil is in fact an American.

Senator Jacob Howard, the author of the citizenship clause in the 14th Amendment, said the following regarding the true intent of the citizenship clause:

"This amendment which I have offered is simply declaratory of what I regard as the law of the land already, that every 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."

[itsahoot]

I think that everyone born on American soil is in fact an American.

What do you think about?

[doc]

“What requirement would you base American citizenship on if not this? I think that everyone born on American soil is in fact an American. As American as you or I. I do not believe that this should bestow any rights upon the parents though. My view is, the baby stays, they HAVE to go. If they do decide to leave they have the right to take the baby with them if they renounce the baby’s citizenship forever.”

UNREALISTIC!!! If you are here illegally your offspring born here are not automatically citizens.

[A_Former_Democrat]

Write the laws based on the citizenship of the parent(s).

Born in the USA is a fluke method and it only encourages the gaming of the system by people that don’t belong here. And keep on with this madness and then let’s see how their descendants treat ours.