Mainstream media, Democrats, and #Resistance Twitter have united to eviscerate a change to citizenship policy regarding children of overseas-deployed military members. The only problem is, they’re all reading the policy wrong.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services released an update to its policies on how citizenship is assigned to children of American citizens born overseas on Wednesday. The admittedly confusing document centered on the definition of the term ‘residence’ and how it figures in the transmission of citizenship from parents to child – a potentially thorny subject, given the Trump administration’s occasional threat to do away with birthright citizenship.

The update also rescinds previous guidance for children of some government employees and military members stationed outside the United States. Read more here: https://t.co/lb1pqouSmbpic.twitter.com/rt3HMF1oPf — USCIS (@USCIS) August 28, 2019

Commentators pounced on the document, interpreting it to mean that children born to members of the US military stationed overseas would no longer receive automatic citizenship at birth. An avalanche of accusations followed – this was “gross disrespect for our troops and government workers,” who would surely abandon their posts en masse at being so ill-treated.

1) More chipping away at concept of birthright citizenship 2) Weaken US military; discourage people from enlisting3) Dilute the idea of patriotism as defined by loyalty to country instead of loyalty to Trump and backersTheir policies make sense once you grasp they hate the US — Sarah Kendzior (@sarahkendzior) August 28, 2019

Except… that wasn’t what the policy said. NBC’s Ken Dilanian – one of the first reporters to come out with a story – deleted his original tweet after it had been reposted dozens of times, and posted a correction.

So this is one hell of a correction (original in image). https://t.co/EWKLLyWOSRpic.twitter.com/OpkoTMCVMW — Joe Cunningham (@JoePCunningham) August 28, 2019

But the original, wrong story was too good to drop. Despite some reporters issuing similar corrections, it proliferated through the ranks of Congress, attracting Democrats eager to be seen as sticking up for members of the military. “Congress needs to act to stop this,” declared an Arizona congressman. “We won’t let this stand,” a California congressman pledged.

It’s unconscionable for the administration to penalize our active duty servicemembers for committing to serve overseas. Denying their children citizenship of the country they choose to serve is shameful and a discredit to their sacrifices. https://t.co/fHZwlQ9i19 — Rep. Gil Cisneros (@RepGilCisneros) August 28, 2019

A twilight-zone narrative which saw Trump axing automatic citizenship for children of service members stationed overseas because his dead nemesis John McCain had been born in Panama even started trending. “Had new Trump policy denying citizenship to children of troops (and diplomats) born overseas been in effect in 1936 Sen John McCain could not have run for POTUS,” one person tweeted, warning that the administration could “expect court challenges.”

The late Senator John McCain too was born overseas, in his case at a Navy base in the Panama Canal Zone.Will any of his former colleagues stand up to the President and speak out against his gross disrespect for our troops and government workers? The backlash must be bipartisan. https://t.co/zfN8EveYxD — Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) August 28, 2019

... Is POTUS trying to ensure that no one, civilian or military, wants to serve the country? Or is this just another swipe at John McCain?This is pathetic, ball-less, and blind AF https://t.co/jsMC6InMnh — Molly McKew (@MollyMcKew) August 28, 2019

USCIS director Ken Cuccinelli took to Twitter Wednesday night to try to clear things up, but by then the damage had been done. People were “freaking out over nothing,” he complained, noting that the policy update was merely an attempt to reconcile the State Department definition of “residence” with the term’s definition in the Immigration and Nationality Act.

“This policy update does not deny citizenship to the children of US government employees or members of the military born abroad,” he said in a statement tweeted by the USCIS. “This does NOT impact birthright citizenship.”

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