The first clause of the fourteenth amendment provides that all persons born in the United States are citizens of the United States. provided they are subject to the jurisdiction thereof. It is my belief that Japanese born on American soil should not be allowed citizenship within the meaning of the fourteenth amendment. because they are not "subject to the jurisdiction" in the sense that the amendment Intends. Their parents could not have become naturalized under the laws of the United States. and it seems absurd to claim that those whose parents could not themselves become naturalized should become citizens by the mere accident of birth on American soil. Furthermore. under the Japanese law. every person whose father is Japanese is a subject of the Emperor and a citizen of Japan. We have. therefore. the question of dual citizenship to contend with if we permit American citizenship by reason of birth on American soil.
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naturalized