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. Subjects: English, Politics

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Citations: 1987 Los Angeles Times Magazne (Dec. 13) “A Profile of a Lost Generation” 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. 1991 Frances Kelly Toronto Star (Canada) (June 2) “Sympathy for the boat people is wearing thin” 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. 1996 [Bruce R] Usenet: soc.college (July 21) “Re: Foreign Students”: In reality, 80% of foreign students who come to the U.S. to study, end up staying permanently, either by marrying an American citizen, having an American citizen anchor baby, going on to an American graduate school, or by getting a job at a shyster company that gets the person an H1B visa for life. 1997 Christopher Rowland Providence Journal-Bulletin (Rhode Island) (Jan. 7) “Welfare official objects to new immigration law” p. A01: Stein contends undocumented aliens should not be allowed to benefit because they have children born in this country. Turning a blind eye to such issues, Stein asserted, encourages immigrant families to conceive “anchor babies” so they can reamain in this country and collect benefits. 2006 John Fryar Daily Times-Call (Longmont, Colo.) (Jan. 5) “Gubernatorial candidate focuses on immigration”: Holtzman said there should be “no more underground economy” and “no more anchor babies,” a term for children of legal and illegal immigrants who are U.S. citizens by virtue of being born in this country. 2006 Daniel Maldonado Aztlan Electronic News (Nov. 22) “The Crack Cocaine of the Nativists Movement”: Next year the nativists will attack babies, or as they so eloquently refer to them as: “anchor babies.”…Let me clarify though, they don’t mean white babies, just the brown ones.…Color is important here because the 14th amendment was added to the U.S. Constitution to insure that the children of slaves, who were black, were given citizenship by the states, who were run by whites. That’s why it was added, but no where does it say that that is its sole intended use, or that it cannot apply in any other context namely to children of immigrant parents.

Posted 27 Nov 06 | Permalink | Tell a Friend

Reader comments:

Well in reality:

Anchor baby:
n. a child born of an illegal alien in the United States, said to be a device by which a foreign family can find legal foothold in the US, since those children are automatically allowed to choose(no, it is automatic; they do not choose) American citizenship. This baby citizen, will later have the ability to sponsor citizenship for family members who are still living abroad.

by Campbell 09 Nov 07, 0533 GMT

No, you’re wrong, Campbell. As one can plainly see in the citations above, such as in the third one, 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.

by Grant Barrett 09 Nov 07, 0123 GMT

THERE IS A DIFFERENTS HER THE SLAVES WERE BROUGH HERE BY THE WHITE MAN.THE ILLEAGELS CAME ON THERE OWN.THE WHITE MAN WAS WRONG IN DOING WHAT THEY DID TO THE BLACK RACE.BY THE WAY IM WHITE.BUT THE MEXICIANS CAME HERE SAYING THIS IS THERE LAND AND WE STOLED IT FROM THEM.WRONG AGAIN.IT BELONG TO THE INDIANS.AND THE WHITE MAN DROVE THEM OUT WHAT THEY DIDN’T KILL.SO BY ALL RIGHTS THE ILLEAGELS ARE TRESSPASSERS AND LAW BREAKERS.

by RITA JANE KESEY 04 May 08, 0646 GMT

The statement that anchor babies are “automaticaly allowed to choose US citizenship” is incorrect. If they’re born in the US, then there is no choice involved - they automatically ARE US citizens.

Additionally, a child born to an immigrant who already holds permanent resident status before the child is born, should not be considered an anchor baby because the parent gains no benefit from the child being a US citizen.

by Kenny S 28 Aug 08, 0517 GMT

I agree to Kenny’s statements.

by konsul 30 Oct 08, 0622 GMT