English

Noun

anchor baby ‎(plural anchor babies)

1. (US, offensive) A child born to immigrant or noncitizen parents in the United States or another country that grants birthright citizenship, and who, as a citizen, can provide immigration benefits to relatives.
   • 2009, Daniel Sheehy, Fighting Immigration Anarchy, page 63:

     In the US each year, hundreds of thousands of anchor babies are born to illegal-alien mothers.

   • 2010, Mike McPheters, Cartels and Combinations:

     I suppose you're going to tell me all about the stupidity of the gringos. By the way, you're one of them, anchor baby. Once your folks swam the river and had you over here, you started getting all the freebies, right?

   • 2011, David Carraturo, Cameron Nation: Going All-In to Save His Country, page 201:

     […] scenes of an ambulance let through the Tijuana-San Diego border and a pregnant senorita emerging to give birth to her anchor baby.

Synonyms

• passport baby (Canada)

Translations

See also

• birth tourism