How to deal with the children of illegal immigrants was not an issue in the era when the Fourteenth Amendment was enacted. The purpose of the amendment was to assure that former slaves were granted full civil rights, including the right to vote. Given this context, the phrase "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" can be interpreted to mean that the child cannot be considered a citizen of a foreign power and is thus under exclusive American jurisdiction.<ref>https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/donald-trump-end-birthright-citizenship-by-executive-order/</ref> | How to deal with the children of illegal immigrants was not an issue in the era when the Fourteenth Amendment was enacted. The purpose of the amendment was to assure that former slaves were granted full civil rights, including the right to vote. Given this context, the phrase "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" can be interpreted to mean that the child cannot be considered a citizen of a foreign power and is thus under exclusive American jurisdiction.<ref>https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/donald-trump-end-birthright-citizenship-by-executive-order/</ref> |