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| '''Anchor baby''' or ''jackpot baby'' are terms used to refer to a child born in the ] to ] or other non-citizens. The terms refer to the role of an illegal alien's child, as a US citizen, in facilitating ] under the provisions of the ]. These terms have been characterized in ] as ]<ref></ref>, and in anonymous letters to the editor of the Chicago Tribune as derogatory<ref> '''anchor baby:''' a derogatory term for a child born in the United States to an immigrant. Since these children qualify as American citizens, they can later act as a sponsor for other family members.</ref>, ]<ref name="chicagotribune2"> August 18, 2006, ], ], "'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> |
'''Anchor baby''' or ''jackpot baby'' are terms used to refer to a child born in the ] to ] or other non-citizens. The terms refer to the role of an illegal alien's child, as a US citizen, in facilitating ] under the provisions of the ]. These terms have been characterized in ] as ]<ref></ref>, and in anonymous letters to the editor of the Chicago Tribune as derogatory<ref> '''anchor baby:''' a derogatory term for a child born in the United States to an immigrant. Since these children qualify as American citizens, they can later act as a sponsor for other family members.</ref>, ]<ref name="chicagotribune2"> August 18, 2006, ], ], "'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>. | ||
| ==Use of the term== | ==Use of the term== | ||
Revision as of 13:56, 27 March 2008
Anchor baby or jackpot baby are terms used to refer to a child born in the United States to illegal immigrants or other non-citizens. The terms refer to the role of an illegal alien's child, as a US citizen, in facilitating chain migration under the provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. These terms have been characterized in Signs on San Diego as pejorative, and in anonymous letters to the editor of the Chicago Tribune as derogatory, dehumanizing.
Use of the term
Those who use the term "anchor baby" do so to describe a process by which a U.S.-born child (whose parents are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents) would become the "anchor" of a chain by which its family would receive benefits from social programs, and through which the parents themselves might eventually become lawful permanent residents or citizens of the United States. It should be noted, however, that under current U.S. law, a U.S.-born child cannot sponsor his or her alien parents for immigration to the United States until reaching adulthood, and illegal immigrant parents do not gain any additional legal rights based solely on the fact that they have had a child born in the U.S.
A related term is "birth tourism", which describes women who travel on temporary visas in order to give their children birthright citizenship.
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.
Birthright citizenship
Main article: Birthright citizenship in the United States of AmericaAccording to the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, anyone who is "born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof" is a citizen of the United States.
Exactly what "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" means, and who is included or excluded by this phrase, has been a subject of controversy over the years. Jacob M. Howard, a Senator from Michigan who helped draft the text of the Fourteenth Amendment, stated in debate in Congress in 1866 that "persons born in the United States who are foreigners, aliens, who belong to the families of ambassadors, or foreign ministers accredited to the Government of the United States" would not be considered U.S. citizens despite their having been born in the U.S. Despite Howard's assertions about the original intent of Congress on this subject, the Supreme Court ruled in an 1898 case that the "jurisdiction" language of the Citizenship Clause excluded from birthright citizenship only children of foreign diplomats, children born to enemy forces engaged in hostile occupation of U.S. territory, and members of Indian tribes; and, accordingly, that a man born in the United States to Chinese parents was a U.S. citizen under the Fourteenth Amendment despite laws at the time barring Chinese immigrants from naturalization.
Debate over the proper interpretation of the Citizenship Clause and the legitimacy of birthright citizenship continues to this day in some circles. Although the Supreme Court has never explicitly ruled on whether children born in the United States to illegal alien parents are entitled to birthright citizenship via the Fourteenth Amendment,, it has generally been assumed that they are. Many opponents of chain immigration and birth tourism have advocated limiting birthright citizenship in the United States, either by urging Congress to enact legislation supporting their interpretation of the Citizenship Clause, or else by proposing amendments to the Constitution which would supersede the Citizenship Clause and deny automatic citizenship to U.S.-born children of aliens.
See also
- Chain immigration
- Illegal immigration
- Illegal immigration in the United States
- United States nationality law
- United States Constitution
References
- SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Politics - Immigration bill turned quiet voices into a roarSignOnSanDiego.com > News > Politics - Immigration bill turned quiet voices into a roar
- "BUZZWORDS; GLOSSARY" December 24, 2006 - By GRANT BARRETT - Week in Review anchor baby: a derogatory term for a child born in the United States to an immigrant. Since these children qualify as American citizens, they can later act as a sponsor for other family members.
- Sinking 'Anchor Babies' August 18, 2006, Eric Zorn, 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."
- Deportation Standoff Not helping Cause August 17, 2006, Eric Zorn, Chicago Tribune,
- Congressional Globe, 39th Congress, 1st Session, p. 2980 (May 30, 1866).
- U.S. v. Wong Kim Ark, 169 U.S. 649 (1898).
- Indians born in the United States gained recognition as U.S. citizens as a result of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924.
- The Heritage Foundation (2005). The Heritage Guide to the Constitution. Washington, DC: Heritage Foundation. pp. 385–386. ISBN 159698001X.
- Erler, Edward J (2007). The Founders on Citizenship and Immigration: Principles and Challenges in America. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 67. ISBN 074255855X.
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