Is Superman An Illegal Immigrant?

You find this question popping up more and more as of late, some people genuinely curious to the answer, some just trying to make a bone headed "THEY TUK ARE JERBS!!" joke. I figured I would post this for any other curious readers who happen by to get their answer without having to dig through tons of useless debate on the topic, simply useless rambling as I am wont to do!

Unsurprisingly, the comics themselves have dealt with this issue over the years in a variety of way.

The simplest explanation has the Kents just taking the baby Clark to an orphanage and officially adopting him from there. Thus, not illegal as he's been adopted by two United States citizens.

The... Overly Convoluted John Byrne version of the tale from Post-Crisis reboot continuity tried a different tact. In it, Krypton was presented as a cold and sterile planet where the DNA from both parents was combined within a device known as a "Birthing Matrix". Here the fetus would gestate until birth. Well, in this version of the story, Jor-El slapped an experimental warp drive right onto the Birthing Matrix and shot his unborn son into space. Thus, when the vessel crashed in Kansas, Clark was officially born right then and there from the Matrix. Later, this would be shown legally as him being considered an official Natural Born Citizen of the United States.

Personally? I always found that one a smidge ridiculous. I know I'm not the only one. Firstly because it attempts to remove one of the cornerstones of the character, him being an immigrant to this country.

But what's worse? It's an overcomplicated solution to something that wasn't a problem in the first place.

If one goes and looks up the definition of what confers citizenship, being a natural born citizen is probably one of the simplest, thus why the whole birthing matrix nonsense was created in the first place. But you know what? Superman was already considered one without that element being added.

Didn't expect that did you? How on Earth could he be considered a natural born citizen?

Go check out the definitions of what makes a natural born citizen.

For those of you who wish to go ahead and trust my word on this, it's the third definition you should take note of:

 "a person of unknown parentage found in the United States while under the age of five years, until shown, prior to his attaining the age of twenty-one years, not to have been born in the United States"

 Yup. It's that simple. Given that Johnathan and Martha had no reason to tell anyone about the rocket, and it's unlikely that anyone had the thought of taking this up with the courts and proving it... Legally... Superman IS considered a natural born citizen by law, no matter how famous the tale of Krypton of his arrival became later. Simply because... no one brought it up and proved his heritage otherwise.

Pretty much, there is no definition of Superman as Illegal. Moreso, he could in fact, become President if he wanted. He IS legally a natural born citizen per that definition, in... well, ALL continuities.

If only Lex had thought to get him busted legally years ago when he made his hair fall out, eh?

Oh... and if you were curious? Even then it doesn't matter in comic terms, in at least one continuity, the UN has recognized Superman as legally a citizen of all member nations with authority to act autonomously throughout their borders. So, even if that little real world statute wasn't in effect, nobody would be able to legally deport him in any case.

Superman, Last Son of Krypton, Natural Born American, Citizen of the World.