The Constitution refers in several provisions to “citizen[s] of the United States,” but no express definition of that term appears in its text. Addressing this omission, the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees U.S. citizenship to “[a]ll persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof.”

A debate centered around an event moderated by Ryan Williams, President of the Claremont Institute, and hosted by The Heritage Foundation on September 27, 2018. Claremont Institute Senior Fellows Michael Antonand Edward Erler, along with Claremont Review of BooksContributor John Fonte, discussed “The Case Against Birthright Citizenship.