How long should birthright citizenship be a right?

[HTacianas]

Anyone born in the United States is by default an American citizen. Then anyone born in a foreign country to at least one American parent is considered a natural born citizen. Then if a natural born citizen born in a foreign country has a child in that country the child is a natural born citizen.

How many generations do you suppose that should last?

 

[archer75]

How do you mean

 

[PloverWing]

It should last as long as the United States exists. Children born on US soil and children born to at least one US parent should be citizens.

I agree that means that there will be US citizens living abroad, perhaps for long periods of time. That does not trouble me.

 

[HTacianas]

It should last as long as the United States exists. Children born on US soil and children born to at least one US parent should be citizens.

I agree that means that there will be US citizens living abroad, perhaps for long periods of time. That does not trouble me.

What about the Chinese "birth tourism" babies? Will China one day have an army of manchurian candidates with US passports?

 

[HTacianas]

How do you mean

If we use the Confederados of Brazil as an example. After the US Civil War a number of southerners immigrated to Brazil. As American citizens, their children born in Brazil were also American citizens. Their children were also American citizens, and so on. Today, there is a rather large community living in Brazil who by law are considered natural born US citizens, even though they are removed from the US by a number of generations.

Should a Confederado descendant born today in Brazil be considered a natural born American citizen?

 

[PloverWing]

Yes, this policy means there may be populations of Americans living in Brazil and China.

Here is another scenario. A number of my friends are Missionary Kids, and others of my friends are children of military families. A sizeable fraction of these were born overseas, on the mission field or while parents were stationed abroad. In some cases, my friends have also chosen to be missionaries, or to join the military, and the pattern repeats. At what point in the generations do we tell descendants of American missionaries or descendants of American military service personnel that they are no longer eligible to be US citizens?

 

[dstamps]

Anyone born in the United States is by default an American citizen. Then anyone born in a foreign country to at least one American parent is considered a natural born citizen. Then if a natural born citizen born in a foreign country has a child in that country the child is a natural born citizen.

How many generations do you suppose that should last?

It is important to realize that what is logical and just has little, if nothing, to do with many laws and the rights associated with them. The self-serving nature is the biggest factor in maintaining or eliminating rights that open the door for misuse. If the misuse favors a large, power seeking group of elected officials, then that misuse will be ignored and justified by pointing to the hardship of children or something likely to pull at the heart strings of a large voting block. If the misuse does not favor the same large, power seeking group of elected officials, they will do all they can to stop the misuse and justify it by some high sounding reason like national security, etc.

When the self-serving nature is involved, logic, commonsense, justice, and many other things are essentially ignored, or even hated. If ignoring a desired problem doesn't work, then a form of justification will be chosen accordingly. #EnemyWithin #SelfServingNature

 

[“Paisios”]

Anyone born in the United States is by default an American citizen. Then anyone born in a foreign country to at least one American parent is considered a natural born citizen. Then if a natural born citizen born in a foreign country has a child in that country the child is a natural born citizen.

How many generations do you suppose that should last?

Actually the foreign born of one US citizen have to have had that US citizen parent have had some residency (I believe 5 years, 3 of which are before age 14) in the US, or the children do not automatically gain citizenship....so there is not an indefinite chain of citizenship without physical ties to the USA.

 

[Neostarwcc]

That's stupid. What I find even stupider is according to Canada I'm a dual Citizen since I was born in Canada and lived there for the first seven years of my life. Yet to America I'm American born abroad and they don't recognize my dual citizenship. I'm not allowed to vote or I'd lose my dual citizenship in Canada and I'm not allowed to move back to Canada or is lose my American citizenship so stupid.

 

[archer75]

What about the Chinese "birth tourism" babies? Will China one day have an army of manchurian candidates with US passports?

United States Citizens at Birth (INA 301 and 309) - Chapter 3, Part H, Volume 12 | Policy Manual | USCIS

 

[Hank77]

Actually the foreign born of one US citizen have to have had that US citizen parent have had some residency (I believe 5 years, 3 of which are before age 14) in the US, or the children do not automatically gain citizenship....so there is not an indefinite chain of citizenship without physical ties to the USA.

.....after the age of 14...
Acquisition of U.S. Citizenship by a Child Born Abroad

 

[Hank77]

That's stupid. What I find even stupider is according to Canada I'm a dual Citizen since I was born in Canada and lived there for the first seven years of my life. Yet to America I'm American born abroad and they don't recognize my dual citizenship. I'm not allowed to vote or I'd lose my dual citizenship in Canada and I'm not allowed to move back to Canada or is lose my American citizenship so stupid.

Because of Ted Cruz's dual citizenship, he renounced his Canadian citizenship so there couldn't be problems with him running for president.
Ted Cruz says it's 'clear and straightforward' that he's a natural-born U.S. citizen

It could have been funny though. Canada could have said a Canadian citizen is POTUS.

 

[The Barbarian]

Anyone born in the United States is by default an American citizen. Then anyone born in a foreign country to at least one American parent is considered a natural born citizen. Then if a natural born citizen born in a foreign country has a child in that country the child is a natural born citizen.

How many generations do you suppose that should last?

That's not quite how it works.

A person born abroad in wedlock to a U.S. citizen mother and a U.S. citizen father acquires U.S. citizenship at birth under section 301(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), if one of the parents has had a residence in the United States or one of its outlying possessions prior to the person’s birth.
...
A person born abroad in wedlock to a U.S. citizen and an alien acquires U.S. citizenship at birth if the U.S. citizen parent has been physically present in the United States or one of its outlying possessions prior to the person’s birth for the period required by the statute in effect when the person was born (INA 301(g), formerly INA 301(a)(7).) For birth on or after November 14, 1986, the U.S. citizen parent must have been physically present in the United States or one of its outlying possessions for five years prior to the person’s birth, at least two of which were after the age of fourteen. For birth between December 24, 1952 and November 13, 1986, the U.S. citizen parent must have been physically present in the United States or one of its outlying possessions for 10 years prior to the person’s birth, at least five of which were after the age of 14 for the person to acquire U.S. citizenship at birth. The U.S. citizen parent must be the genetic or the gestational parent and the legal parent of the child under local law at the time and place of the child’s birth to transmit U.S. citizenship.
Acquisition of U.S. Citizenship by a Child Born Abroad

An out-of-wedlock birth makes things a little complicated. There's a lot of text on this, at the website, if you're interested.
Acquisition of U.S. Citizenship by a Child Born Abroad

 

[“Paisios”]

.....after the age of 14...
Acquisition of U.S. Citizenship by a Child Born Abroad

Sorry, my mistake.