RUMOR: The 14th Amendment guarantees citizenship to children born to parents illegally in the U.S. Critics argue that automatic birthright citizenship could be changed by revoking the statute. Others say it would require a constitutional amendment because they believe the 14th Amendment requires birthright citizenship.
Answer: Each child can only be claimed as a dependent by one parent (except when married couples file taxes jointly). Typically, in the case of divorced, separated, or never married parents, it is the custodial parent who is legally able to claim a child as a dependent for tax purposes.
If the parents are not married, did not live apart during the last six months of the calendar year, or do not have a written document, the test for determining which parent can claim the child as a dependent is that the parent who provides more than 50% of a child's support during the tax year can claim the child as a dependent.