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Do many illegal immigrants deliver ‘anchor babies’?

By Louis Jacobson
August 6, 2010

It sounds like an ingenious way for illegal immigrants to get a foothold in the United States: Pregnant women from Mexico and other countries can come to the U.S. to deliver their babies. Voila! Under the 14th Amendment, the babies are instant citizens!

That’s become a popular talking point for critics of illegal immigration, who have dubbed the children “anchor babies.” The implication often is that the baby U.S. citizens act as an anchor that that helps parents and other relatives obtain citizenship.

We checked a claim from Sen. Lindsey Graham and found the problem isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

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