I didn’t think of this question myself, but i wanted to see the Dope’s answers. By immigrants I obviously mean people who were not born here, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, and who ordinarily wouldn’t be allowed to be President. Would he have been any good? Would you have voted for him if he’d started a run after he was done as Governator? Or Madeleine Albright?
Jennifer Granholm and Ruben Blades.
Ahnuld didn’t do too badly as Governator, and might have made a good President (The Simpsons aside). Likewise Madeleine Albright, as you say.
Madeleine Kunin was born in Switzerland and served very capably as Governor of Vermont.
There was some controversy about Gen. Phil Sheridan’s birthplace - maybe Ireland, maybe on a ship crossing the Atlantic, maybe NYC. The Civil War hero might have done well as President. Likewise Gen. George G. Meade, victor of the Battle of Gettysburg, who was born in Cadiz, Spain. (Come to think of it, Meade had a bad temper and might not have had the patience to serve well in the White House).
Alexander Hamilton was born in Nevis in the British Leeward Islands, but would have been eligible to serve as President since he was “a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution” under Art. II, Sec. 1, cl. 5.
ElenDil-s-Heir just beat me to it with Alexander Hamilton.
But some immigrant politicians would make poor presidents: Ted Cruz.
Now, I am naming immigrants who appear constitutionally qualified to be president (although with Ted Cruz, opinions differ).
While I’m against requiring the President to be a natural born citizen, I also suspect that anyone who wins a presidential election wil become president, regardless of constitutional requirements.
Barack Obama.
[Sorry. I just … had to] 
Heh. I knew someone would.
I’d support amending the Constitution to provide that naturalized citizens would after, say, 20 years, be eligible to run and serve as POTUS.
A slight side remark-I think it’s stupid that the citizens of Guam, for example, apparently can’t run for President.
Nor Puerto Rico, I believe.
Might work. But be sure to add something like this to your amendment: “This amendment is self-executing. It should be enforced for caucuses, primary elections, general elections, and at party conventions. No otherwise valid lawsuit against a violator of this amendment, whether a candidate, or an official blocking a candidate from running, may be dismissed on grounds of standing.”
Probably I have missed something. The problem is that SCOTUS will find a loophole so long as the process for choosing justices remains partisan.
But he was born to American parents, wasn’t he? Wouldn’t that make him a natural born citizen, just like Cruz ?
Could be. Not sure what the law was back in 1815.
Congress has legislated that Puerto Ricans and Guamanians are U.S. citizens at birth and therefore they would qualify under the “natural born citizen” provision. However, it’s less certain whether they would qualify under the “14 years a resident within the United States” requirement (assuming they did not live at least that long in the mainland United States). Consensus seems to be that they would not.
A suggestion I saw elsewhere for President: the Marquis de Lafayette. How did the colonists feel about France?
This SCOTUS? The loophole they’ll find is “Because we feel like it”.
I don’t think he was ever an immigrant, he just came back for a visit. Afa France goes, I hope they liked it. There wouldn’t be a country but for France.
The next real life case here could be Tulsi Gabbard, who was born in American Samoa. That’s an unincorporated territory of the United States.
Ted Cruz as a Natural Born Citizen
I actually think this is unfair to Gabbard, because she is stateless when it comes to natural born citizenship in the original intent of the U.S. Constitution. Congress should pass a bill incorporating all our territories in the United States. (This is not the same as granting statehood.)
Cruz is a natural born Canadian who renounced the nation of his birth. He could have gone into Canadian politics if he had wanted.
SCOTUS lacks the cojoins to enforce constitutional qualifications for the presidency in face of the will of the voters. This will be confirmed when John Roberts swears in Donald Trump next January.
As long as you have the power to re-write the Constitution, why the 20 years business? Equal rights and privileges for all citizens. Is there some massive importation of corrupt politicians anticipated?
The Framers were concerned about foreign influences on the American government, and the events of the past few years have shown us that they were all too prescient. I think allowing a reasonable time after naturalization should suffice to show that a potential candidate is who he or she seems to be, and not a mole or deep-cover agent.
But someone could easily be born here and still support another country. I understand what you’re trying to prevent, but I’m not sure of the best solution apart from the current one which does perhaps more harm than good.
Lafayette was only 19 years old when he joined the continental army. By the time he was old enough to be president he was back in France for many years.