Welcome to three and three. Three key facts in three minutes or less on the topics you care about most.

Birthright citizenship. Key fact number one. The basis of birthright citizenship is the Constitution.

Per the 14th Amendment, all persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the

jurisdiction thereof are citizens of the United States.

Which brings us to key fact number two.

Birthright citizenship was never intended to extend to the children of illegal

aliens. While proponents of unrestricted birthright citizenship argue that the intent of the 14th

Amendment is to grant citizenship to anyone born on American soil, the original drafter of the 14th

Amendment jurisdiction clause,

Michigan Senator Jacob Howard, made it clear

that the 14th Amendment was expressly not meant

to apply to anyone simply on the basis

of being born on US soil.

He stated, jurisdiction, as here employed,

ought to be construed so as to imply a full and complete jurisdiction

in extent and quality as applies to every citizen of the United States now.

Gentlemen cannot contend that an Indian belonging to a tribe, although born within the limits of a state,

is subject to this full and complete

jurisdiction of the United States. Illinois Senator Lyman Trumbull further clarified,

it cannot be said of any Indian who owes allegiance, partial allegiance, if you please,

to some other government that he is subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

The only Supreme Court case on birthright citizenship, one which is often misconstrued, is United States

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