anchor baby

[ang-ker bey-bee]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Disparaging and Offensive.

a term used to refer to a baby born to an undocumented mother in a country where the baby becomes a citizen at birth, especially when the birth is planned to facilitate eventual legal residency for the family.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of anchor baby¹

First recorded in 1995–2000; from the parents' intent to “anchor” themselves and not be deported

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

She said there was a "very unpleasant sort of ethno-nationalist anti-Kemi wing" who called her an "anchor baby" - a term used in the United States to refer to people who ensure their children are born in the country in order to gain residency.

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When mothers from Mexico, South America and Central America attempted it, the practice was called having an “anchor baby.”

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“Anchor baby instructions for rich people,” one commenter sniffed, while another called her “corrupt morally and socially.”

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During the last election, Trump repeated the words “anchor baby” gratuitously on the campaign trail, giving the phrase even more air.

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When Donald Trump launched his campaign for the 2016 presidential election, his signature policy agenda around immigration often leaned into the “anchor baby” fallacy.

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When To Use

�� does anchor baby mean?

An anchor baby is an offensive slang term for a child intentionally born in the United States from a foreign mother so the child receives U.S. citizenship, and so the family can get residency.

anchorage anchor ball

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