JOE BIDEN BORDER

As Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1823, "On every question of construction carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested in the debates and instead of trying what meaning may be squeezed out of the text or invented against it, conform to the probable one in which it was passed." Section 1 of the 14th Amendment, which pertains to immigration and naturalization, reads, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." To discern the authentic meaning of this amendment as originally intended by its framers, we must first start with its plain language and then further examine the context under which it was proposed and passed. Any debate about the authority of our Constitution must begin with First Principles, or original intent. "All persons born or naturalized in the United States..." This language is plain and easily understood.