Anchor baby
An "anchor baby" refers to a child born to noncitizen parents in a country that practices birthright citizenship, where the child automatically acquires citizenship by virtue of being born there. This term often carries negative connotations, implying that the parents may have intentionally given birth in that country to secure a pathway to citizenship for themselves. The discussion surrounding anchor babies has garnered significant attention in the United States, particularly in the context of immigration debates. It is frequently associated with undocumented migrants, especially from Mexico, although the concept can apply to various groups.
The term has historical roots dating back to the 1980s, originally used to describe young immigrants who could assist their family members in obtaining citizenship. Critics of the term argue it unfairly characterizes parents and overlooks the complexities of immigration, noting that children cannot sponsor their parents for citizenship until they are at least 21 years old. The related phenomenon of birth tourism, where women travel to countries with birthright citizenship to give birth, has also become a topic of discussion, with affluent individuals from various countries seeking the benefits associated with having a child born in the U.S. or Canada. Overall, the concept of anchor babies remains a contentious issue within immigration policy discussions, reflecting broader societal attitudes towards citizenship and immigration.
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Anchor baby
Anchor baby is a term used to describe a child born to a noncitizen in a country that has birthright citizenship, meaning that the child is automatically a citizen simply by being born there. The child is therefore viewed as an anchor the family may use to gain citizenship. The suggestion that the child is a tool toward citizenship has generated controversy and heated debate in the United States, where the term originated. Anchor baby is often used as a pejorative, suggesting that the mother gave birth in the country specifically to gain a foothold for the family to become citizens in the future.
References to anchor babies most often refer to undocumented migrants from Mexico. Many people believe pregnant Mexican women cross into the United States to have their babies to give them the advantages of citizenship and help the family migrate legally. This concern was a topic of discussion during the 2016 US presidential campaign.
The notion is closely connected to what is called birth tourism. This refers to women who travel to a country with birthright citizenship while pregnant, usually on tourist visas. They give birth in the country, gaining citizenship for their infants.
Background
The terms anchor children and anchor people arose during the 1980s in the United States. The references were to young Vietnamese people who arrived in the United States to work. Their families hoped they would succeed and could then sponsor relatives to become American citizens. They were no different from immigrants from many countries who sought better opportunities and hoped to help family members join them later.
A few years into the twenty-first century, people began referring to anchor babies as infants conceived for the sole purpose of helping a family gain citizenship. Many Americans who favored strong immigration laws and limits used the term to support their position. The term gained prominence when it was used by media outlets. In 2011, the American Heritage Dictionary added the term, with its definition suggesting that families use the infants to gain citizenship. Oxford Dictionaries added it soon after, flagging it as an offensive term. Dictionary editors noted that no neutral alternative term exists because anchor baby is meant to be offensive.
The negative connotation of anchor baby hinges on birthright citizenship. The legal term for birthright citizenship is jus soli, meaning "right of the soil." Birthright citizenship was not clearly conferred in the US Constitution. The Fourteenth Amendment, which was written primarily to give emancipated slaves legal status, states that all people born or naturalized in the country are citizens. In 1898, the US Supreme Court further clarified that all people born on US soil are unconditionally granted citizenship. Thus, anti-immigration advocates viewed infants born to foreign mothers on US soil as the first step in a family's move to the United States.
Birthright citizenship is a right in about thirty countries. These include most countries in Central and South America, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and the United States. As defined by the International Monetary Fund, Canada and the United States are the only two developed countries that have unrestricted birthright citizenship laws.
Overview
The derogatory term anchor baby is meant to convey the idea that the parents are committing fraud. The idea that adults give birth to a child in a country to gain citizenship does not make sense given the facts. A child born in the United States cannot sponsor his or her parents for citizenship until the child is at least twenty-one years old. If the parents are undocumented, they risk deportation for two decades before sponsorship is even possible. In addition, the majority of noncitizen parents who have children in the United States have already been legal residents of the country for many years.
Many people who favor strict immigration control in the United States have pointed to the rise of unauthorized immigrants in the country having children that began late in the twentieth century. The number rose steadily from 30,000 in 1980 to a peak of 370,000 in 2007, or 9 percent of all US births, before dropping off, according to a 2016 Pew Research Center report. By 2014, the number had fallen to 275,000, or 7 percent of all US births. This represented about one-third of births to foreign-born mothers in the country.
Anchor babies and birthright citizenship are heated topics of debate in US politics. In 2015, early in the campaign for the 2016 presidential election, Republican candidate and former governor of Florida Jeb Bush said Asian Americans were committing fraud to gain birthright citizenship for their children. Candidate Donald Trump accused Mexicans of crossing the border for one day to give birth in the United States so the child could collect benefits such as free health care for life. Trump called for an end to birthright citizenship.
Discussion of anchor babies periodically arose during the election cycle. Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, who was also a presidential candidate in 2015, was born when his pregnant mother traveled to the United States in 1971 to earn her graduate degree at Louisiana State University. Jindal had been called an anchor baby, but he rejected the notion, because his parents had green cards, or permanent residency status. His mother had received a scholarship to study in the country, and her pregnancy coincided with that time.
While the myth of anchor babies being born to undocumented migrants is based on a faulty premise, birth tourism has flourished in the twenty-first century. For example, affluent Chinese couples who have trouble conceiving have spent tens of thousands of dollars to find surrogate mothers in the United States. Many use agencies that find the mothers, organize medical care, arrange for visas and accommodations for the Chinese parents, and provide legal services. After the baby, an American citizen, is born, the couple takes the infant home to China. While the parents see the child's dual citizenship as a bonus, they also use American surrogates because of strict laws about the procedure in China.
Many Russians, too, have embraced birth tourism. Every year, dozens of affluent Russian mothers-to-be travel to Florida to stay in luxury accommodations before and after they give birth. Like Chinese mothers-to-be, who favor Florida and California as American birthplaces for their babies, many Russian women pay agencies to organize accommodations, travel, documents, and medical care. Birth tourism is not illegal, as long as the individuals do not lie when they apply for visas or to officials.
Bibliography
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Passel, Jeffrey S., and D'Vera Cohn. "Number of Babies Born to Unauthorized Immigrants in U.S. Continues to Decline." Pew Research Center, 26 Oct. 2016, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/10/26/number-of-babies-born-to-unauthorized-immigrants-in-u-s-continues-to-decline/. Accessed 7 Feb. 2018.
Sheehan, Matt. "Born in the USA: Why Chinese 'Birth Tourism' Is Booming in California." Huffington Post, 6 Dec. 2017, www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/01/china-us-birth-tourism‗n‗7187180.html. Accessed 7 Feb. 2018.
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