Whether he paid taxes or not,he was here legally so his kids are citizens because they were born here.
.
With all due respect Mears, please consider the following.
Sen. Jacob Howard argued for the inclusion of the jurisdiction clause in the 14th Amendment to clarify that just because somebody is born in the US doesn’t mean that they are automatically a citizen.
From the congressional record, here is Sen. Howard’s clarification of the purpose of the jurisdiction clause.
"Every person born within the limits of the United States, and subject to their jurisdiction, is by virtue of natural law and national law a citizen of the United States. This will not, of course, include persons born in the United States who are foreigners, aliens [emphasis added], who belong to the families of ambassadors or foreign ministers accredited to the Government of the United States, but will include every other class of persons. It settles the great question of citizenship and removes all doubt as to what persons are or are not citizens of the United States. This has long been a great desideratum in the jurisprudence and legislation of this country." A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774 - 1875 Congressional Globe, Senate, 39th Congress, 1st Session Page 2890 of 3840 (See about bottom half of middle column.)