Were my grandparents anchor babies?
Born between 1893 and 1896, in Brooklyn and Rochester NY, and in Meriden CT, to subjects of Her Britannic Majesty Alexandrina Victoria and the German Emperor Friedrich Wilhelm.
You say anchor babies are not citizens. So, were my grandparents citizens, or not? My grandfathers 1917 draft cards have 3 choices for citizen status: Natural Born, Naturalized, and Alien.
The War Department classified both as “Natural Born”, not “Alien”.
There were no laws limiting immigration back then. I thought I already addressed your situation in a previous message I had sent you.
You say anchor babies are not citizens. So, were my grandparents citizens, or not?
There was no need to "anchor" in that era. Immigration was open to everyone with no restrictions.
It is only after we have changed our laws to allow only approved immigration that there is a need to have an "anchor" in this country. During your family's era, there was no such need. People could come and go to this country as they pleased.
The War Department classified both as “Natural Born”, not “Alien”.
I am not familiar with when everyone decided that the "War Department" would be the agency determining citizenship status. Apart from that, it is my recollection that *YOU* said they just checked a box, and the military accepted it without question.
I said anchor babies are citizens.