Pence Claims Supreme Court Never Ruled On Whether The 14th Amendment Covers Birthright Citizenship

NBC News reports:

Vice President Mike Pence confirmed that the White House was examining taking action on ending birthright citizenship on Tuesday in an interview with Politico, adding the Supreme Court “has never ruled on whether or not the language of the 14th Amendment — ‘subject to the jurisdiction thereof’ — applies specifically to people who are in the country illegally.”

Pence is correct that the Supreme Court hasn’t ruled on a Citizenship Clause case specifically involving unauthorized immigrants, but the landmark 1898 case United States v. Wong Kim Ark affirmed that people born in the United States are considered American citizens regardless of their parents’ immigration status, per the ACLU.

“We all cherish the language of the 14th Amendment, but the Supreme Court of the United States has never ruled on whether or not the language of the 14th Amendment subject to the jurisdiction thereof applies specifically to people who are in the country illegally,” Pence said. pic.twitter.com/r2r65vQeT7

— POLITICO (@politico) October 30, 2018