| Revision as of 19:24, 10 March 2012 editRichwales (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Oversighters, Administrators18,012 edits creating second, separate footnote properly citing Grant Barrett's remark about "anchor baby" being used to refer to a child of any immigrant, not just a child of an illegal immigrant← Previous edit | Revision as of 22:27, 10 March 2012 edit undoCuchullain (talk | contribs)Administrators83,895 edits Restoring excised material that was well cited, neutral, and significant to the article. Restoring paragraph to the lead that summarizes significant sections of the article, per WP:LEAD].Next edit → | ||
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| "'''Anchor baby'''" is a ] term for a child born in the ] to ] parents, who, as an American citizen, supposedly can later facilitate immigration for relatives.<ref name="doubletongue">{{cite web|url=http://www.doubletongued.org/index.php/dictionary/anchor_baby/ |title=Double Tongued Dictionary|editor=Barrett, Grant |quote= '''Anchor baby:''' ''n.'' a child born of an immigrant in the United States, said to be a device by which a family can find legal foothold in the US, since those children are automatically allowed to choose American citizenship. Also '''anchor child''', a very young immigrant who will later sponsor citizenship for family members who are still abroad.}}</ref><ref name="weekinreview">{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/24/weekinreview/24barrett.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss |title=Buzzwords: Glossary|date= December 24, 2006 |first=Grant|last=Barrett|authorlink=Grant Barrett|work= ] |quote='''anchor baby:''' a derogatory term for a child born in the United States to an immigrant. Since these children automatically qualify as American citizens, they can later act as a sponsor for other family members.}}</ref><ref name=ahd>{{cite web |url= http://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=anchor+baby |title= Anchor baby|author= |date= 2011 |work= ahdictionary.com|publisher= ] |accessdate=January 17, 2012}}</ref> The term is generally used as a derogatory reference to the supposed role of the child, who automatically qualifies as an American citizen and can later act as a sponsor for other family members.<ref name="weekinreview"/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2006/08/sinking_anchor_.html |title=Sinking 'Anchor Babies|date= August 18, 2006|first=Eric|last=Zorn|authorlink= Eric Zorn|work= ] |quote='They use it to spark resentment against immigrants,' Rivlin said of his ideological foes. 'They use it to make these children sound non-human.' To me, that's good enough reason to regret having used it and to decide not to use it in the future.}}</ref> The term is often used in the context of the debate over ] to refer to children of illegal immigrants, but could also be used in a similar sense outside of that context to refer to the child of any immigrant "when the child's birthplace is thought to have been chosen in order to improve the mother's or other relatives' chances of securing eventual citizenship."<ref name="doubletongue"/> | "'''Anchor baby'''" is a ] term for a child born in the ] to ] parents, who, as an American citizen, supposedly can later facilitate immigration for relatives.<ref name="doubletongue">{{cite web|url=http://www.doubletongued.org/index.php/dictionary/anchor_baby/ |title=Double Tongued Dictionary|editor=Barrett, Grant |quote= '''Anchor baby:''' ''n.'' a child born of an immigrant in the United States, said to be a device by which a family can find legal foothold in the US, since those children are automatically allowed to choose American citizenship. Also '''anchor child''', a very young immigrant who will later sponsor citizenship for family members who are still abroad.}}</ref><ref name="weekinreview">{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/24/weekinreview/24barrett.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss |title=Buzzwords: Glossary|date= December 24, 2006 |first=Grant|last=Barrett|authorlink=Grant Barrett|work= ] |quote='''anchor baby:''' a derogatory term for a child born in the United States to an immigrant. Since these children automatically qualify as American citizens, they can later act as a sponsor for other family members.}}</ref><ref name=ahd>{{cite web |url= http://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=anchor+baby |title= Anchor baby|author= |date= 2011 |work= ahdictionary.com|publisher= ] |accessdate=January 17, 2012}}</ref> The term is generally used as a derogatory reference to the supposed role of the child, who automatically qualifies as an American citizen and can later act as a sponsor for other family members.<ref name="weekinreview"/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2006/08/sinking_anchor_.html |title=Sinking 'Anchor Babies|date= August 18, 2006|first=Eric|last=Zorn|authorlink= Eric Zorn|work= ] |quote='They use it to spark resentment against immigrants,' Rivlin said of his ideological foes. 'They use it to make these children sound non-human.' To me, that's good enough reason to regret having used it and to decide not to use it in the future.}}</ref> The term is often used in the context of the debate over ] to refer to children of illegal immigrants, but could also be used in a similar sense outside of that context to refer to the child of any immigrant "when the child's birthplace is thought to have been chosen in order to improve the mother's or other relatives' chances of securing eventual citizenship."<ref name="doubletongue"/> | ||
| In reality, the immigration benefits of having a child born in the United States are limited. Citizen children cannot sponsor parents for entry into the country until they are 21 years of age, and if the parent had ever been in the country illegally, they would have to show they had left and not returned for at least ten years.<ref name=politifact>{{cite web |url= http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2010/aug/06/lindsey-graham/illegal-immigrants-anchor-babies-birthright/|title= Fact-checking the claims about 'anchor babies' and whether illegal immigrants 'drop and leave'|author= |date= August 6, 2010|work= PolitiFact.com|publisher= ] |accessdate=January 17, 2012}}</ref><ref name="USCISI864P"></ref> Additionally, though statistics show that a significant, and rising, number of illegal aliens are having children in the United States, there is little evidence that acquiring citizenship is their goal.<ref name=politifact/> | |||
| ==History and usage== | ==History and usage== | ||
| A related term, ''anchor child'', referring in this case to very young immigrants who will later sponsor immigration for family members who are still abroad,<ref name="doubletongue"/> was used in reference to Vietnamese ] in the early 1980s and early 1990s.<ref name="LATM">{{cite news|title=A Profile of a Lost Generation|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1987-12-13/magazine/tm-28306_1_schooling|work= Los Angeles Times Magazine|date= December 13, 1987| page =12|quote=They are “anchor children,” saddled with the extra burden of having to attain a financial foothold in America to sponsor family members who remain in Vietnam.}}</ref><ref name="TS">{{cite news|title=Sympathy for the boat people is wearing thin|first= Frances |last=Kelly|work= Toronto Star|date= June 2, 1991| page =H2|quote= Known as “anchor” children, aid workers say the youngsters are put on boats by families who hope they’ll be resettled in the United States or Canada and can then apply to have their families join them.}}</ref> | A related term, ''anchor child'', referring in this case to very young immigrants who will later sponsor immigration for family members who are still abroad,<ref name="doubletongue"/> was used in reference to Vietnamese ] in the early 1980s and early 1990s.<ref name="LATM">{{cite news|title=A Profile of a Lost Generation|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1987-12-13/magazine/tm-28306_1_schooling|work= Los Angeles Times Magazine|date= December 13, 1987| page =12|quote=They are “anchor children,” saddled with the extra burden of having to attain a financial foothold in America to sponsor family members who remain in Vietnam.}}</ref><ref name="TS">{{cite news|title=Sympathy for the boat people is wearing thin|first= Frances |last=Kelly|work= Toronto Star|date= June 2, 1991| page =H2|quote= Known as “anchor” children, aid workers say the youngsters are put on boats by families who hope they’ll be resettled in the United States or Canada and can then apply to have their families join them.}}</ref> | ||
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| ==Incidence== | ==Incidence== | ||
| Some ] claim the United States' "]" is an incentive for illegal immigration, and that immigrants come to the country to give birth specifically so that their child will be a U.S. citizen. It is true that the majority of children of illegal immigrants in the U.S. are citizens, and that the number has risen. According to a ] report, an estimated 73% of children of illegal immigrants were citizens in 2008, up from 63% in 2003. A total of 3.8 million unauthorized immigrants had at least one child who is an American citizen. In investigating a claim by ] ], PolitiFact found |
Some ] claim the United States' "]" is an incentive for illegal immigration, and that immigrants come to the country to give birth specifically so that their child will be a U.S. citizen. It is true that the majority of children of illegal immigrants in the U.S. are citizens, and that the number has risen. According to a ] report, an estimated 73% of children of illegal immigrants were citizens in 2008, up from 63% in 2003. A total of 3.8 million unauthorized immigrants had at least one child who is an American citizen. In investigating a claim by ] ], PolitiFact found little evidence to support the idea that citizenship was the motivating factor.<ref name=politifact/> | ||
| Instead, many illegal immigrants come to the United States looking for employment and economic opportunity. As illegal immigration in general increases, so too does the number of births. Of those who do come to the United States specifically to give birth, the reason is often to find better quality healthcare than was available at home, rather than to ensure their children would have U.S. citizenship. PolitiFact concludes that "he data suggests that the motivator for illegal immigrants is the search for work and a better economic standing over the long term, not quickie citizenship for U.S.-born babies."<ref name=politifact/> | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | Still, the term "anchor baby" and the assumptions behind it are used by immigration opponents to push for changes to the 14th amendment and the ] clause.<ref>{{cite news |title= The Debate Over 'Anchor Babies' and Citizenship|author= |url= http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129279863|newspaper= npr.org|date= August 18, 2010|accessdate=January 17, 2012}}</ref> | ||
| ==Controversies== | ==Controversies== | ||
Revision as of 22:27, 10 March 2012
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"Anchor baby" is a pejorative term for a child born in the United States to immigrant parents, who, as an American citizen, supposedly can later facilitate immigration for relatives. The term is generally used as a derogatory reference to the supposed role of the child, who automatically qualifies as an American citizen and can later act as a sponsor for other family members. The term is often used in the context of the debate over illegal immigration to the United States to refer to children of illegal immigrants, but could also be used in a similar sense outside of that context to refer to the child of any immigrant "when the child's birthplace is thought to have been chosen in order to improve the mother's or other relatives' chances of securing eventual citizenship."
In reality, the immigration benefits of having a child born in the United States are limited. Citizen children cannot sponsor parents for entry into the country until they are 21 years of age, and if the parent had ever been in the country illegally, they would have to show they had left and not returned for at least ten years. Additionally, though statistics show that a significant, and rising, number of illegal aliens are having children in the United States, there is little evidence that acquiring citizenship is their goal.
History and usage
A related term, anchor child, referring in this case to very young immigrants who will later sponsor immigration for family members who are still abroad, was used in reference to Vietnamese boat people in the early 1980s and early 1990s.
The term was relatively obscure for years, but became particularly prominent in 2006, and has been frequently employed by critics of immigration since that time. It is generally considered pejorative. In 2011 the American Heritage Dictionary added an entry for the term in the dictionary's new edition, which did not indicate that the term was disparaging. After a strong response from critics, the dictionary updated its online definition to indicate that the term is "offensive", similar to its entries on other ethnic slurs. The decision to revise the definition led to some criticism from illegal immigration opponents. The definition currently reads:
n. Offensive Used as a disparaging term for a child born to a noncitizen mother in a country that grants automatic citizenship to children born on its soil, especially when the child's birthplace is thought to have been chosen in order to improve the mother's or other relatives' chances of securing eventual citizenship.
According to the Double-Tongued Dictionary, written by American lexicographer Grant Barrett, the term "anchor baby" means "a child born of an immigrant in the United States, said to be a device by which a family can find legal foothold in the US, since those children are automatically allowed to choose United States citizenship." In response to a reader comment, Barrett claimed that the term is used to refer to a child of any immigrant (not just children of illegal immigrants), and that it is used especially by racist and xenophobic opponents of all immigration (not just illegal immigration).
Immigration status
According to PolitFact of the St. Petersburg Times, the immigration benefits of having a child born in the United States are limited. Citizen children cannot sponsor parents for entry into the country until they are 21 years of age, and if the parent had ever been in the country illegally, they would have to show they had left and not returned for at least ten years; however, pregnant and nursing mothers could receive free food vouchers from government programs and enroll the children in Medicaid, while children who are citizens can help immigrant parents qualify for relief from deportation. Statistics show that a significant, and rising, number of illegal aliens are having children in the United States, but there is mixed evidence that acquiring citizenship is their goal. Under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, any person born in the United States is a citizen of the country.
The implication of the "anchor baby" label is that a U.S. citizen child can help parents or other relatives gain citizenship. Citizen children can sponsor their parents for immigration to the U.S., but they cannot do this until they are 21, and if the parents were ever in the country illegally, they would have to show that they had left and not returned for at least ten years before re-applying.
Children who are United States citizens provide some benefits to their parents in the short term. Pregnant or nursing mothers can apply for food or nutritional vouchers through the federal WIC (Women, Infants and Children) program. Parents of citizen children who have been in the country for ten years or more can also apply for relief from deportation, though only 4,000 persons a year can receive relief status. Approximately 88,000 parents of US citizen children were deported in the 2000s. As such, according to the fact checking project PolitiFact, having a child in order to gain citizenship for the parents is "an extremely long-term, and uncertain, process."
Incidence
Some critics of illegal immigration claim the United States' "birthright citizenship" is an incentive for illegal immigration, and that immigrants come to the country to give birth specifically so that their child will be a U.S. citizen. It is true that the majority of children of illegal immigrants in the U.S. are citizens, and that the number has risen. According to a Pew Hispanic Center report, an estimated 73% of children of illegal immigrants were citizens in 2008, up from 63% in 2003. A total of 3.8 million unauthorized immigrants had at least one child who is an American citizen. In investigating a claim by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, PolitiFact found little evidence to support the idea that citizenship was the motivating factor.
Instead, many illegal immigrants come to the United States looking for employment and economic opportunity. As illegal immigration in general increases, so too does the number of births. Of those who do come to the United States specifically to give birth, the reason is often to find better quality healthcare than was available at home, rather than to ensure their children would have U.S. citizenship. PolitiFact concludes that "he data suggests that the motivator for illegal immigrants is the search for work and a better economic standing over the long term, not quickie citizenship for U.S.-born babies."
Still, the term "anchor baby" and the assumptions behind it are used by immigration opponents to push for changes to the 14th amendment and the birthright citizenship clause.
Controversies
On August 17, 2006, Chicago Tribune columnist Eric Zorn used the term "anchor baby" in reference to Saul Arellano, in a column critical of his mother, who had been given sanctuary at a Chicago church after evading a deportation order. After receiving two complaints, the next day Eric Zorn stated in his defense in his Chicago Tribune blog that the term had appeared in newspaper stories since 1997, "usually softened by quotations as in my column", and stated that he regretted having used the term in his column and promised not to use it again in the future.
On August 23, 2007, the San Diego, California-area North County Times came under criticism from one of its own former columnists, Raoul Lowery Contreras, in a column titled "'Anchor babies' is hate speech", for allowing the term "anchor baby" to be printed in letters and opinion pieces.
See also
- Birthright citizenship in the United States
- Birth tourism
- Chain immigration
- Illegal immigration in the United States
- United States nationality law
References
- ^ Barrett, Grant (ed.). "Double Tongued Dictionary".
Anchor baby: n. a child born of an immigrant in the United States, said to be a device by which a family can find legal foothold in the US, since those children are automatically allowed to choose American citizenship. Also anchor child, a very young immigrant who will later sponsor citizenship for family members who are still abroad.
- ^ Barrett, Grant (December 24, 2006). "Buzzwords: Glossary". New York Times.
anchor baby: a derogatory term for a child born in the United States to an immigrant. Since these children automatically qualify as American citizens, they can later act as a sponsor for other family members.
- "Anchor baby". ahdictionary.com. American Heritage Dictionary. 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
- Zorn, Eric (August 18, 2006). "Sinking 'Anchor Babies". Chicago Tribune.
'They use it to spark resentment against immigrants,' Rivlin said of his ideological foes. 'They use it to make these children sound non-human.' To me, that's good enough reason to regret having used it and to decide not to use it in the future.
- ^ "Fact-checking the claims about 'anchor babies' and whether illegal immigrants 'drop and leave'". PolitiFact.com. St. Petersburg Times. August 6, 2010. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
- Cite error: The named reference
USCISI864Pwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - "A Profile of a Lost Generation". Los Angeles Times Magazine. December 13, 1987. p. 12.
They are "anchor children," saddled with the extra burden of having to attain a financial foothold in America to sponsor family members who remain in Vietnam.
- Kelly, Frances (June 2, 1991). "Sympathy for the boat people is wearing thin". Toronto Star. p. H2.
Known as "anchor" children, aid workers say the youngsters are put on boats by families who hope they'll be resettled in the United States or Canada and can then apply to have their families join them.
- ^ Julia Preston (December 8, 2011). "Anchor Baby: A Term Redefined as a Slur". The New York Times. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
- Alan Gomez (December 5, 2011). "Dictionary's definition of 'anchor baby' draws fire". USA Today. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
- Joshua Rhett Miller (December 9, 2011). "Revised Definition of 'Anchor Baby' Part of Leftist Agenda, Critics Say". foxnews.com. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
- Barrett, Grant (ed.). "Double Tongued Dictionary".
is used for *any* immigrant. Those who use this term tend to be opposed to *all* immigration and immigrants, not illegal immigration, especially those who use their immigration stance as a mask for racism and xenophobia.
- Lacey, Marc (5 January 2011). "Birthright Citizenship Looms as Next Immigration Battle". New York Times.
The next big immigration battle centers on illegal immigrants' offspring, who are granted automatic citizenship like all other babies born on American soil. Arguing for an end to the policy, which is rooted in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, immigration hard-liners describe a wave of migrants like Ms. Vasquez stepping across the border in the advanced stages of pregnancy to have what are dismissively called "anchor babies."
- ^ Louis Jacobson (August 6, 2010). "Do many illegal immigrants deliver 'anchor babies'?". PolitiFact.com. St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
- Watanabe, Teresa (April 1, 2010). "Report criticizes increased deportation of legal immigrant parents". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
- "The Debate Over 'Anchor Babies' and Citizenship". npr.org. August 18, 2010. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
- Zorn, Eric (August 17, 2006). "Deportation Standoff Not helping Cause". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on unknown.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|archivedate=(help) - Contreras, Raoul Lowery (August 23, 2007). "'Anchor babies' is hate speech". North County Times.
Further reading
- Berestein, Leslie (April 2, 2006). "Immigration bill turned quiet voices into a roar". San Diego Union-Tribune.