It's worth pointing out that while this is a neat discussion, in the actual world, it'd take a Constitutional Ammendment or a USSC ruling to end birthright citizenship. You guys know as well as I do that were Congress to just pass a law, the SJW's would have that thing in front of a shopped for Federal Judge for an injection before the CINC's signature was dry. It's only judicial activism if it's for the wrong side.
Uhm, yay? If you're stripping people of their citizenship, it bloody well should have the bar set very highly. Same with voting or any other fundamental right. Then again, I'm the kind of nutter that things the 2A means what it says as says. Even felons are not stripped of citizenship.
And Hawkmoon is correct. Congress doesn't, can't and shouldn't trump the Constitution. Just like an AR-15 didn't exist in the age of muskets, it doesn't change diddly. Anchor babies are to the Right is what EBRs are to the Left.
I wasn't just being polite when I said to TommyGunn that I agree that the situation is more nuanced than "the Constitution means what it says", but at the end of the day, American citizenship is the highest right in the world and should be given the highest protection under the law. The government should have a staggeringly overwhelming burden to strip or deny citizenship. This has already been established in court cases regarding dual citizenship. The courts basically found that unless a person renounces their citizenship, it's virtually impossible to strip them of citizenship. That said, we tax American citizens no matter where they live in the world. Accidental dual citizenship get very expensive in a hurry when you have to pay double taxes.
That said, any illegal immigrant parents of an anchor baby are given no such protection and they should not be given any such protection. Either the kid goes with the parent when they are deported, or they are given up for adoption. Violating a laundry list of federal and state felonies should be punished. Obviously, the kid committed none of them and deserves no punitive action. If a kid is born on a vacation or other legal visit to the US, uhm, pretty much the same minus the felonies. "Congrads, your kid has dual citizenship" is about it.