Jus soli
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Jus soli (Latin for "right of ground"), also known as birthright citizenship, is a system in which nationality and/or citizenship is granted to any and all persons born within the territory of, and subject to the jurisdiction of, a state. This differs from jus sanguinis (Latin for "right of blood"), wherein nationality and/or citizenship is granted to persons whose not-so-distant ancestors were citizens of a country. Jus soli citizenship policies are mostly found in the Western Hemisphere.
In the United States, it is affirmed[1][2] by the the Fourteenth Amendment and has become the subject of much debate because it makes the children of illegal immigrants US citizens. This has caused some loopier conservatives to call for a change to the amendment, rather than actually fix the immigration issue.
How conservatives intend to then pass a citizenship test, especially in light of their own lack of knowledge about U.S. history and the Constitution, is not yet known.
[edit] Footnotes
- ↑ In United States v. Wong Kim Ark, the Supreme Court ruled that that the 14th Amendment merely reaffirmed an existing common law principle, see infra.
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, Qualifications for President and the “Natural Born” Citizenship Eligibility Requirement, p. 29