QP!
Verified User
Stop talking you ignorant idiot.
The Framers and Congress specifically addressed "transient foreigners", "tourists" and "Short term visitors" and DELIBERATELY included them.
During the 1866 congressional debates, the architects of the amendment explicitly discussed and affirmed that the text covered the children of transient foreigners, tourists, and short-term visitors, rather than restricting it solely to established residents or formerly enslaved people. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
The 1866 Congressional Debates on Transients
When drafting the Citizenship Clause, Senators explicitly challenged the text by raising scenarios involving temporary visitors and foreign nationals: [1, 2, 3, 4]
- The "Transient" Question: Senator Edgar Cowan of Pennsylvania, an opponent of the amendment, explicitly objected because he feared it would grant citizenship to the children of transient immigrants—specifically targeting Chinese immigrants in California and Roma people ("Gypsies") in the Northeast. [1, 2, 3]
- The Framers' Response: Senator John Conness of California, a supporter of the amendment, responded directly. He acknowledged that it would indeed apply to the children of Chinese immigrants and transients, stating that this was a feature of the law, not a flaw. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
- Defining Jurisdiction: Senator Lyman Trumbull, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, clarified the phrase "subject to the jurisdiction thereof." He stated it meant that the parents must not be foreign diplomats or part of an invading army. If a foreign national is visiting American soil, they are bound by U.S. laws, can be tried in U.S. courts, and are therefore under U.S. jurisdiction. Consequently, their U.S.-born children are citizens. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
