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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, but is used for the child of any immigrant.

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.

According to the Double-Tongued Dictionary, edited 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's proposed alternate definition seeking to limit the definition of the term to children of illegal immigrants, Barrett states:

...it 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.

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.

Immigration benefits

Under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, any person born in the United States is a citizen of the country. As such, a U.S. citizen child is entitled to all benefits of American citizenship; they can be eligible for Medicaid, and when they are old enough, can receive in-state tuition from public colleges and work uninhibited.

The general assumption 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.

Additionally, U.S. citizen children can 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 would be "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. However, 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, and advocating her arrest and deportation on immigration-related charges. 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

References

  1. ^ 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.... it is used for *any* immigrant. Those who use this term tend to be opposed to *all* immigration and immigrants....
  2. ^ 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.
  3. "Anchor baby". ahdictionary.com. American Heritage Dictionary. 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  4. 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.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. "Poverty Guidelines" (PDF). Form I-864P. US Citizenship and Immigration Service. August 9, 2010. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  7. "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.
  8. 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.
  9. ^ Julia Preston (December 8, 2011). "Anchor Baby: A Term Redefined as a Slur". The New York Times. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  10. Alan Gomez (December 5, 2011). "Dictionary's definition of 'anchor baby' draws fire". USA Today. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  11. Joshua Rhett Miller (December 9, 2011). "Revised Definition of 'Anchor Baby' Part of Leftist Agenda, Critics Say". foxnews.com. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  12. 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."
  13. ^ Louis Jacobson (August 6, 2010). "Do many illegal immigrants deliver 'anchor babies'?". PolitiFact.com. St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  14. Watanabe, Teresa (April 1, 2010). "Report criticizes increased deportation of legal immigrant parents". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  15. "The Debate Over 'Anchor Babies' and Citizenship". npr.org. August 18, 2010. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  16. 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)
  17. Contreras, Raoul Lowery (August 23, 2007). "'Anchor babies' is hate speech". North County Times.

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