Wong Kim Ark’s parents were domiciled in the United States, specifically residing and running a successful business in San Francisco, California. They were lawful merchants who lived in the U.S. for about 20 years before eventually returning to China in the early 1890s.
Wong Kim Ark’s 1898 landmark case established the framework for U.S. birthright citizenship but differed fundamentally from most modern immigration issues because his parents were legally admitted, working residents who were barred by law from becoming U.S. citizens. Today, debates typically center on the children of undocumented or temporary immigrants.