By Sarah Jones
In today’s society, immigration is almost seen as a dirty word. Because we are so close to the border of Mexico, people tend to assume the topic of immigration automatically refers to illegal Mexican immigration. To test that idea, fifty people from the county of San Diego were polled and asked to state the first word that came to mind when they heard the word ‘immigration.’ 30% said Mexico, Mexicans, or Hispanics, while an additional 12% said illegal. While there were a few answers like “hope” and “promise,” most people responded with a more negative response. Immigration is a much broader term, and includes more people than the average San Diegan might believe.
In today’s society, immigration is almost seen as a dirty word. Because we are so close to the border of Mexico, people tend to assume the topic of immigration automatically refers to illegal Mexican immigration. To test that idea, fifty people from the county of San Diego were polled and asked to state the first word that came to mind when they heard the word ‘immigration.’ 30% said Mexico, Mexicans, or Hispanics, while an additional 12% said illegal. While there were a few answers like “hope” and “promise,” most people responded with a more negative response. Immigration is a much broader term, and includes more people than the average San Diegan might believe.
So, what is immigration, anyway?
Immigration as defined by the Collins English Dictionary (2009) is, “the movement of non-native people into a country in order to settle there.” It is not a new idea presented in this generation, it has existed for centuries. It has existed throughout history in all forms and within all countries.
America, for example, was founded by immigrants. Since the country was essentially stolen from the indigenous peoples by the settlers, it’s quite obvious that nearly all current Americans come from an immigrant background. According to the 2010 Census, only 0.9% of all people living in the United States are American Indian or Alaska Native. That means that a total 99.1% of the people living in America have ancestors that immigrated from somewhere else. These statistics go to show that white people are immigrants too, which people, particularly white people, don’t often consider.
Immigration is how the United States of America came into existence. Immigration is how you, your parents, grand-parents, or great-grand parents came to this country. Immigration has no race, color, or nationality. Look around, nearly everyone you know is an immigrant.
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By Chandra Charette
Often times when researching on the subject of immigration it is common to come across the term “Anchor Baby.” Although there are many of those who reference the term, they don’t always take the time to properly explain what it means. Anchor baby is a derogatory term referring to children born in the United States by immigrant mothers who reside illegally within our borders. The reason they are referred to as ‘Anchor’ babies is because, as stated, under the citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment,
"Every Person born within the limits of the United States, and subject to their jurisdiction, is by virtue of natural law and national law a citizen of the United States. This will not, of course, include persons born in the United States who are foreigners, aliens, who belong to the families of ambassadors or foreign ministers accredited to the Government of the United States, but will include every other class of persons.”
This means that any child born in the United States instantly receives U.S. citizenship. With this in mind, the parents of the child are automatically given the right to continue to reside in the U.S. and raise their child in until they reach the age of 18 where henceforth the parents will be deported. Once the child is born they (parents included) instantly qualify for welfare benefits which the parents can then collect and use for their own devices. Many people use this term in a derogatory manner because it is a blatant abuse of loopholes exploited by illegal immigrants.
But the story doesn’t stop there. After becoming an adult the child can petition to have their parents given U.S. citizenship and permanent residency, thanks to the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. In addition, not only can they petition for their parents to stay, but they can also petition to bring their entire extended family into the country as a sponsor. So essentially, this child’s purpose is to solely “anchor” the family with in the United States. To put it simply, illegal immigrants give birth to these children within our borders in order to use them as a pawn to secure citizenship in the United States
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