Birthright Citizenship
Former U.S. Congresswoman and California governor candidate Katie Porter claims that “birthright citizenship is literally written into the Constitution” and “there is no debate to be had: if you are born here, you are a citizen.”
IN FACT, the 14th Amendment only grants birthright citizenship to the children of people who are “subject to the jurisdiction of the United States,” not everyone “born here.” The U.S. Senator who crafted this language introduced it in the Senate by stating that “subject to the jurisdiction” does NOT include the children of “foreigners, aliens,” “ambassadors,” “an Indian belonging to a tribe,” and anyone not subject to the “same jurisdiction in extent and quality as applies to every citizen of the United States now.”
