Actually, debating immigration law is good

Published July 6, 2026 5:36pm ET | Updated July 6, 2026 5:36pm ET



The Constitution says that “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof” are automatically U.S. citizens. The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that this includes children of illegal immigrants, children of tourists, and children of people who took a wrong turn in Manitoba and gave birth in Minnesota.

I don’t second-guess the court on this. Judging by the divisions on the court, the legal question seems pretty difficult, and my own reading of the text leaves the majority’s decision plausible.

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