Anchor baby
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Anchor baby is a pejorative [1][2] term used to refer to a child born in the United States to illegal immigrants or other non-citizens. The term refers to a resident alien's child's role in facilitating "chain migration" under the provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Services Act of 1965. The baby becomes the "anchor" of the chain by which its family may receive benefits from social programs, and by which that family's members may themselves eventually become citizens of the United States. The term "anchor babies" is also used to refer to children born to women who are legally in the US on temporary visas (for example a visitor’s visa) when the child's birth is specifically intended to obtain citizenship under US law, however, this is more precisely described as birth tourism. Sometimes the term jackpot baby is used interchangeably with the term anchor baby, and this use is also derogatory.
[edit] Birthright citizenship
Under current United States federal law [3] and most interpretations of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, any individual born within the United States (except for a child of foreign diplomats) is a citizen of the United States, regardless of the legal status or citizenship of that individual’s mother or father. This state of affairs is opposed by some who believe either (a) that the current interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment is faulty, or (b) that the interpretation, though valid, is outdated and that the Constitution ought to be amended to eliminate what is commonly known as birthright citizenship.
Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution states that:
"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."
This is sometimes referred to as the Citizenship Clause of the US Constitution, with the interpretation of the phrase “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” being the main point of debate.
[edit] See also
- Illegal immigration
- Illegal immigration in the United States
- United States nationality law
- United States Constitution
- Birth tourism
- Elvira Arellano
[edit] References
- Congressman Mark Souder (R. IN)
Congressional Update regarding anchor babies. An anchor baby is a pejorative term used to describe a child born in the U.S. to a non- citizen ... see Anchor Babies dated 07/17/2006
