Many Americans are confused about what constitutes “Birthright Citizenship”, which adds to the confusion in the larger debate over illegal immigration and how to deal with the problem. Here is an explanation, citing the author of the citizenship clause in the Fourteenth Amendment, Sen. Jacob Howard, who made these remarks:
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.
