Should imigrants be allowed to run for president in the US?

[New Yorker]

Since there are so many political discussions going on here about politics, I think this is a fair question.

For those of you who are not from the US, think about your own countries. Would you feel ok with an imigrant running the course of your society?

Personaly, I think not allowing imigrants to run for presdent is archaic. Sure, the founding fathers wanted to create an American identity, but the US is now a highly diversified society so preventing an imigrant who is able and capable to hold office makes no sense.

I also think it would be an interesting idea. Here in the US many people still see the US as the only nation that matters. In a world where power is beiing decentralised it is imperative that Americans learn we are only one player on the world stage (true, we do have more power than most, but we still need other countries for our survival).
A foreign president might make people rethink their position on nationalism and exaggerated patriotism.

And for those of you who think this subject should not even be discussed because the constitution is a done deal, let me remind you that there are 27 ammendments to the constitution which means that the constitution can be changed.

 

[KiltedSoldier]

There is nothing to stop an Immigrant who becomes a citizen in Britain becoming a Member of Parliament or Prime Minister. EU nationals who are not UK citizens can run for British seats in the EU Parliament. The worry in the US is they'd be loyal to their old country ?

 

[New Yorker]

This is what the constitution says on section 1 of Article 2:

No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.

The founding fathers argued that this clause was meant to protect the United States from influence of other foreign goverments, They thought a foreigner wouldbe more likely to be manipulated by their mother nation which could be detremental to the US.

kEEP IN MIND THAT THIS WAS WRITTEN IN THE LATE 18TH CENTURY when the 13 colonies were under British rule. At the time, it made sense that the founding fathers were suspicious of foreigners. But our modern society is very different now. The world has gotten much bigger and far more complex and believing a foreigner who has been living in the US long enough to be a US citizen would becoime the president just to hand the country over to a hostile nation is a bit implausible.

I think a better case can be made against bankers or financers becoming presidnet, but that is a discussion for another day.