Kim Wong Ark’s parents were Chinese citizens, but here legally.
However, taking Sen. Howard’s post script literally, no one born to a foreign national in the United States would be granted citizenship.
And that view had never been the case.
People in the USA on a visitor visa are here legally. I do not think that children born here while they are here on a vacation should be citizens. There are already birthing centers in California where pregnant Chinese women are coming, having a baby, then taking the US citizen baby back to China for return to the USA at the time of their choosing.
I do think that children of people holding a green card as a permanent resident should be citizens.
Not true. It was the case quite a lot. Indians, for example, didn't even get citizenship until the Indian Citizenship act of 1924.