Have You Heard Of ‘Anchor Baby’ Before?
“Anchor baby” is a pejorative term for a child born in the United States to non-citizen parents—such a child automatically become an American citizen by jus soli (right of soil/born in the territory).
Interestingly, this citizen by jus soli could later facilitate immigration for relatives who would not otherwise qualify for permanent residence.
The term is generally used as a derogatory reference to the supposed role of the child, who automatically qualifies as an American citizen and can later act as a sponsor for other family members—and not just that, ‘Anchor babies’ are treated less favourably by their peers in some parts of United States.
Despite the above, so many African celebrities who we deem as doing well for themselves on the continent rush to give birth in United States, and it is not mostly for the good healthcare system but for ‘Anchor baby’ status for their children—so that later in life, they can also become USA citizens.
Giving birth in the United States by African Celebrities has become something of a class thing; and even though it seems ‘classy’ to give birth in the United States, I find it exploitative in two days—considering how our African celebrities have turned to this.
First of all, rushing into someone’s country to give birth and enjoy their medical facilities even if you are paying when you have effective facilities in your home country comes across as abuse of the other system. Surely, there is a hell lot mothers enjoy by virtue of having a child in United States—and when such mothers are celebrities who could afford but take these things with ease to the detriment of the ordinary persons, I find it exploitative.
Apart from the way African Celebrities seem to exploiting the existing US system and birth laws, I also think it’s deeply unconscionable to use your child solely as a bait for citizenship—you wouldn’t want to fly into Mali and give birth there because you can’t later get anything good from that country but people are ready to do that for United States. Personally, I wouldn’t want my child to be a citizen of a country that I am not a citizen of—or rush to have my child in a different country for the sole purpose of acquiring their passport for my child and later myself.
Of course I do see the counter arguments such as every mothers’ desire to seek for a better life for their children—but this can hold for the ordinary poor African mothers and not our celebrities who seem to be the ones championing the increasing ‘Anchor Baby’ thing.
You may wrongly argue that as long as you can afford it, you should be able to fly into the United States and give birth, therefore, African celebrities are not doing anything ‘wrong’ by doing so. The fact is; the United States do not really want pregnant women trooping into their country to give birth to ‘Anchor babies’ and as such they hardly allow obvious near due-time pregnant women onto their territories. This means most people sneak into the United States to have their babies, even if they are ready to foot the bill.
I guess to others, this is a perfect life opportunity worth grabbing—I mean giving birth in the United States by hook or crook.
In the last few years, we’ve seen Nigeria’s Mercy Johnson, 2Face Idibia’s wife-Annie Macaulay, Luckie Lawson and several others having given birth in United States and this week, Ghana’s Nadia Buari has also joined the ‘Achor Baby’ mothers train…
Would you love to have your baby in the United States? If Yes…why and if No…why?
THATS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU COME FROM A COUNTRY WHERE WE HAVE ALL THE RESOURCES TO LIVE COMFORTABLY AND YET OUR LEADERS GREEDILY SQUANDER THEM AND MISUSE OUR RESOURCES.
WHO WILL WANT THIER KIDS TO SUFFER IN THIS HARSH GH ECONOMIC WEATHER WHEN YOU HAVE THE CHANCE TO RAISE YOUR KID IN AN ADVANCED WORLD!!!
SAGAA!!!
chale, i was thinking about that today. We have such incompetent leaders, this forces the citizens out of the coutry. Africa needs to rise
Are the people partly not to be blamed for voting for faulty or incompetent leaders?
As Martha Stewart says “it’s a good thing’. What better way to give your child a head start? Soon Africa will belong to the Chinese overlords with the Africans as slaves, so what better way to ensure that your child will not be left behind? Even animals seek the best places to have their offspring. So there is nothing wrong. Americans are just bitter that someone is beating them at their game. Consider this a mini invasion. As opposed to the grand invasion of other people’s territories by America. Most of the states now constituting the USA was taken from indigenous people through wanton expansion of the Europeans. The cherokee were chased out from the Appalachian mountains all the way west. The Sioux, the apache, Comanche and the rest were also wiped out and their lands taken. Even the Mexicans has their lands annexed. Ask the hawaiians how they became part of the USA. Their land and country was stolen by missionaries who then got the US congress hoodwinked to annex it. They congress then sent in the navy. So considering how people lost their lands to Uncle Sam, a few a anchor babies is a small punishment to pay. In fact for a capitalist society, it should be encouraged. Their hospitals make money of pregnant women. They buy formula, diapers etc which adds to the economy. Give them a break!
Quick question for u dear. Am wondering, do Canada have the same system. I mean do u automatically be a citizen by virtue being born there even if your parents r illegal?
Yes. Canada has the citizenship by birth on its books. That’s the dilemma of most illegals because Canada deports illegals. So risk the situation of being separated from your parents. I remember some Portuguese family had to leave Canada with their teenage kids who were born here.
Ooh thatexplains y i don’t hear a l poo t of stories about people having their babies there. It looks their immigration system is much tougher.
This is truly shameful of the ‘so called celebrities’. Having an anchor baby just to secure your ‘spot’. No wonder so many dislike anchor babies—blame the parents.
Greedy “celebrities”
I wouldn’t. If you marry the a person from that country or who holds a citizenship there, then that’s fine. But coming over when you know that you are/may be pregnant just to give birth is a bit ridiculous.
Do you know that Mercy Johnson’s husband is an American citizen?
Please read the second sentence. I stated that, ” If you marry the a person from that country or who holds a citizenship there, then that’s fine.”
Lol… I was only asking you a question. Stop being defensive. Hehehe
I do apologise. I didn’t mean to off as so.
Cross the above comment because I wrote it incorrectly. What I meant to say was that I do apologise for coming off as defensive.
Awww….. please you don’t have to apologize. By the way, you are very mature for a 19 year old. Keep it up!!
Well having parents and siblings who insist on showing me how the world really is, is kind of a good thing but then it gets bad. I sometimes get picked on for having an opinion or trying to bring to light somethings that need light shed on. But that’s the world that we live in, I guess.
Although in some of my comments, I may come off as being harsh and inconsiderate, that is not my intention. I’m just here, like you, trying to stay in touch and keep up to date with the things that happen in Ghana(mainly Entertainment here). I’m trying to work on that though. I’ve been told in the past that I’m very insensitive and show a lack of emotions when it comes to touchy subjects and for that, I try to watch my words and think of the possible consequences I may face for saying the wrong things.
But thank you 🙂
I sometimes wish that I wasn’t so ‘mature’ (although I think of myself as being very immature because some people don’t take me seriously due to my age and the preconceptions they have about teens), then I would have friends around my age(Sadly, most of my friends are older than me). And I wouldn’t be pushed away into a corner because “I’m trying too hard to be their parents”. A friend of mine actually told me and that hurt because I’m just trying to be a teenager just like her.
19? And you don’t like anchor babies? Were you born in the US or you moved there? Do you know the contribution of anchor babies to the US? Check it out and you may be surprised. I am sure some anchor baby picked your veggies, fruits and cereal that you had today. Or protected and served you today. Don’t be too harsh with your judgement.
Yeah I’m 19. And no I wasn’t born in the U.S., I moved to the U.S. at 8 years old. But I was born in a country where citizenship isn’t granted at birth(not unless one or both parents are citizens of that country).
Anywayz i would do it too 🙂
The writer should just give us a break-
“when you have effective facilities in your home country comes across as abuse of the other system……”
Do you really want to compare the health care system in the US with that of Ghana and describe it as effective?
I saw the article on dailymail yesterday and from the comments, a lot of Americans are very happy about that. It’s apparently been going on for decades and because of lots of petitions and complaints, they’re taking action. Some of the Ghanaian and Nigerian ‘celebrities’ such as Mercy and Nadia are also using maternity tourism as a foot-holder.