I believe the term, "US persons", specifically (and only) refers to legal US citizens, not aliens, of any legal status.
Merely setting foot on US soil does not automatically confer citizenship, or legal status. IF an alien steps onto US soil and requests asylum, then they are normally processed and given a citation to appear in court for an immigration hearing at a future date, then released on their own recognizance.
Only three percent of such aliens ever show up for their hearing. Ninety seven percent ignore the citation and melt away into the illegal alien population.
I never said it confers citizenship. But it does give them the right to seek asylum. And the coyotes teach them what they need to say to get a court hearing.
Like, “I’m seeking asylum from my gov’t who is abusing my basic human rights”