Illegal immigrants having children within the U.S. are called “terror babies” by Texas Republicans who would like for the U.S. constitution to repeal the 14th amendment. The 14th amendment grants U.S. citizenship to all persons born on American soil. Congressman in Texas Louie Gohmert and Debbie Riddle, state representative, explain that taxpayers have to pay for illegal immigrants who come to America to have their babies. Next they become sleeper agents back in their own country and return to the U.S. as adults to attack.
Terror babies having a conspiracy
CNN’s Anderson Cooper talked all about the conspiracy theory about terror babies. All the information on terror babies came from “former FBI officials” according to Republicans in Texas, Riddle and Gohmert. Gohmert used terror babies to argue the 14th Amendment should be changed. Riddle explains that immigrant women have children in America “with the nefarious purpose of turning them into little terrorists, who’ll then come back to the U.S. and do us harm.”
There is no proof that terror babies really exist as they were being pressed by Cooper. Riddle complained on camera that before the taping no one warned her that she would have to come up with actual facts during the interview.
Unlikely to have terrorists like this
When thinking about how the law is set up, says Think Progress, there isn’t much of a chance for there to be terror babies like these. Getting a visa to the U.S. is quite difficult. An officer at the U.S. embassy has to interview these individuals provide evidence of their trip purpose, fingerprints and photos. While there are immigrant women — documented and undocumented — who have babies within the U.S. who become American citizens, their purpose within the country is generally to work.
Beginning your own citizenship with anchor babies
The terror babies idea is an escalated perversion of the “anchor babies” talking point used by Republican senators who argue the 14th amendment needs to be rewritten to curb automatic “birthright citizenship.” However PolitiFact reports that having an anchor baby won’t put a Mexican or Middle Eastern mom on the fast track to become a U.S. citizen. It really takes more than 30 years. Kids aren’t able to sponsor their parents who aren’t citizens unless they’re 21 years old. If the parents seeking sponsorship happen to be illegal immigrants, they must return home for 10 years before applying to re-enter the U.S.
Nonexistent evidence from the FBI}
After Gohmert and Riddle spun their terror babies horror story, CNN’s Cooper interviewed Tom Fuentes, who served as the FBI’s assistant director in the office of international operations from 2004 to 2008. Fuentes said there was never a credible report on terror babies. An open records request for anything about the conversation between Riddle and also the previous FBI agent was made by Elise Hu of the Texas Tribune. No such records exist.
Additional reading
YouTube
youtube.com/watch?v=jUA7obmYvPk
CNN
cnn.com/2010/OPINION/08/13/navarrette.terror.babies/
Think Progress
thinkprogress.org/2010/08/13/gohmert-terrorists-immigration/
PolitiFact
politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2010/aug/06/lindsey-graham/illegal-immigrants-anchor-babies-birthright/
