MOOR VS. MOOR: Are Anchor Babies An Exploitation of American Citizenship?

YES DEREK WU
Staff Writer

In recent years “birth tourism” has been a popular method of immigration for many Chinese families. In this method, pregnant Chinese women come to the U.S. to give birth; the baby receives American citizenship due to the 14th Amendment. When the child reaches the age of 21, they are able to apply for green cards for their whole families.

The 14th amendment is interpreted in a way where people from other countries take advantage of this amendment for their own benefits. America has always been a country of opportunities, but the U.S. government can not provide for between 287,000 and 363,000 children of illegal immigrants born each year according to 14thamendment.us.

Additionally, housing prices are rising due to the buyers from China; for example, Arcadia house prices rose 18.5 percent and in 2013, Chinese buyers spent over $22 billion on homes according to Bloomberg business. This will ultimately hurt American citizens as it will be harder for them to afford homes.

America has always been a land of equal opportunities; however, we should be able to see when a group of people are clearly exploiting an American policy and instead of turning a blind eye, we should regulate it.

NO JOSEPH NEY-JUN
Staff Writer

The 14th Amendment grants citizenship to any person born within the borders of this country. Immigrants who might not always be able to gain citizenship in the U.S. themselves may come to this country to give birth to their children. The child is then considered a citizen of the U.S. Some of these children are born as “anchor babies.” Their purpose is to be able to bring their family overseas when they are older and help them become citizens.

Such people have been met with criticism for exploiting the system and concerns have risen about the cost of supporting these families as well as other immigrants. However, what must be considered is why they would choose to come here.

The U.S. is supposed to be a symbol and a safe haven. The first colonists were those fleeing religious persecution, while others fled from war, famine and poverty in their own homes. America is far from perfection and we have a whole host of problems of our own, but the country is still considered a place of safety.

To deny these immigrants the chance to achieve the American Dream, or maybe just a home and a roof, is giving up on the ideas that this country was founded on. Why does that stop at our borders?