Posted on 08/24/2015 7:32:18 PM PDT by markomalley
Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush rebuffed claims that the phrase “anchor baby” is offensive towards Hispanics, saying the media needs to “chill out” and that in any case the term is more targeted at Asians anyway.
Bush first used the phrase “anchor baby” last Thursday on a conservative radio talk show, saying he supported greater efforts to prevent pregnant women from coming to the U.S. solely to give birth here. The term was dubbed offensive by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and much of the media suggested the term was anti-Hispanic.
But at a Monday appearance in McAllen, Texas, a majority-Hispanic city on the Mexican border, Bush said the idea he was attacking Hispanics was “ludicrous,” in part because anchor babies are a primarily Asian phenomenon.
“What I was talking about was the specific case of fraud being committed in organized efforts — and frankly, it’s more related to Asian people — coming into our country, having children in that organized effort, taking advantage of a noble concept, which is birthright citizenship,” Bush said.
WATCH:
(video at link)
Bush added that the media needed to “chill out” and stop attacking politicians for every word they use. He also cited his own life experiences to rebut the notion he is anti-immigrant.
“My background, my life, the fact that I am immersed in the immigrant experience, this is ludicrous for the Clinton campaign and others to suggest that somehow I am using a derogatory term,” he said. Bush’s wife, Columba, is a Mexican immigrant.
Bush’s mention of Asian anchor babies reflects a genuine phenomenon also known as “birth tourism.” Birth tourists, mostly of Asian origin, deliberately plan to travel to the United States right as they are about to give birth. These children are still typically raised overseas, but thanks to their U.S. citizenship they will be able to freely return to the U.S. when they grow up, and potentially facilitate immigration for other family members.
While there aren’t official tallies for the phenomenon, the number of anchor babies resulting from birth tourism is estimated to be in the tens of thousands each year.
While Bush described anchor babies as a mostly Asian phenomenon, he otherwise discussed immigration Monday mostly in terms of the southern border. Bush called for the increased use of unmanned drones to conduct border surveillance, and he also called for unspecified policies to deter unaccompanied Central American children from showing up at the border, as thousands have in the last several years.
Yeb! is this one going to fly?
This guy is so dense that it just blows my mind.
hebs stuck in early adolescence...this lame excuse proves it
mucho basura
Yeb’s attempt here to rally Asians to his cause seems like a miserable failure.
Calling them “anchor babies” is an act of love, Jethro.
Don’t want to alienate the illegal alien vote.
You know, jeb could possibly be the one human in the country dumber then Sloe Joe.
Jeb-A-Roo... “Mr Song & Dance”
TRUMP (social media): JEB! admits having racial bias against industrious Asians.
So Jeb was admittedly racist in his use of the term?
He’s truly an idiot.
hahaha this guy is terrible.
IOW, he hates Michelle Malkin (whom liberals falsely call an anchor baby.)
Moron. [eyeroll]
BRILLIANT!!! borracho,,,
That’s waisist!
The anchor baby issue could easily be solved by a new law that any baby born before 8 months have passed since the mother arrived in the country was conceived in another country and therefore belongs to that country. This would work for any baby born after a visitors visa had expired, because there would be a record of when the mother arrived. For the people who enter illegally and are not recorded, then the baby could only be legal if there is some sort of record that the mother conceived in this country—filing for a SS card, or visiting a health clinic and providing the name.
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