25 upvotes, 1 direct replies (showing 1)
then its language ("All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside") can't be read literally, and instead needs to be read with the intent of the drafters in mind.
While true, we have the Congressional debates. One of the opponents of the amendment asked that surely the drafters couldn't consider this to apply to natural-born children of Chinese immigrants as Chinese immigrants were barred from naturalization and thus couldn't become citizens. One of the drafters said that *no, this includes children of Chinese immigrants* and as far as that person was concerned, they were always natural-born citizens and this amendment merely clarified that status. The intent is clearer than the text.
Comment by 0002millertime at 24/01/2025 at 15:13 UTC
22 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Also, the Supreme Court later specifically ruled on exactly that case of a child born in the US to Chinese citizens.