45 Comments

• GeorgeDillon | Aug 10, 2010, 03:31 PM EDT

  Twenty grand is very expensive. Sounds like there's an opening in the bankrupt Irish economy for someone to start a business bringing in heavily pregnant women. As someone else pointed out, there's already a business in Eastern European women of suspect virtue taking a few days off their busy schedules in Warsaw or wherever in order to fly into Ireland and show their faces at the Irish Marriage Registry accompanied by their proud husband, Mr Ali or Singh or whatever. Once it's all done and dusted, and the fee changes hands, it's back to Warsaw a few thousand bucks richer for the blushing bride. Ali of course gets to stay in Ireland because he's now the loving husband of a European woman whom he'll never see again.

• FastEddy | Aug 10, 2010, 02:09 PM EDT

  CBS Snooze item yesterday, 8/9/2010: Hong Kong Chinese TV advertises a US$20,000 package including roundtrip airfare and english speaking chinese doctor bill to have your chinese baby born in USA "with US citizenship papers". Can Ireland beat that? Come on, you can do better!

• bonjouryall | Aug 09, 2010, 08:57 PM EDT

  WoundedKnee, it sounds like you know more than I do and I thank you for your comment. In my defense, I did not assert the comment as fact (it sounds as if the difference is more practical than legal?) and yes I am getting more information on the topic-unfortunately, however, but very little from the written articles on IrishCentral. While one should take everything with a grain of salt, there's often more substance from the commenters than in the articles. (Of course, it does whip up a reading frenzy for the website this way-me included!)

• hancock | Aug 09, 2010, 08:52 PM EDT

  That was tongue in cheek tansey, read it again, I apologize for not realizing everybody has my tolerance for sarcasm. I was highlighting once again the the open border crowd and their disdain for anybody who disagrees with them, esspecially if they have intimate knowledge of the problem.

• allentown | Aug 09, 2010, 08:35 PM EDT

  The illegal alien parents must go home. They decide if they want to take their American born child with them, or leave them in the U.S. Loving parents will take their child home with them and apply to enter the U.S. legally.

• tanseyj | Aug 09, 2010, 03:38 PM EDT

  I have always been proud of my Irish heritage! Proud that my ancesters are Irish! Loved the 2 visits I have made to Ireland! But to be called a 'Nazi' by Hancock is not my idea of the Irish people. Hope he is very much the exception to the rule? If he lived here on the border I am sure he would think differently. Nothing wrong with legal immegration, my wife has a 'green card'. I have many Mexican neighbors and they are great people. The ones I have talked to, do not agree with Illegals in the state of AZ. They are citizens, the legal way. I am sure my ancesters came here legally. But times have changed in this country. There are thousands of people who want to become citizens here, legally. Many, including Irish, have to waid many years. That is the correct and legal way to do it. Feel sorry for Hancock and his outlook on this American problem!

• WoundedKnee | Aug 09, 2010, 02:40 PM EDT

  DLW: "Nobody would deport a baby, therefore, nobody will deport the illegal parents." You got it. That's exactly what happens in Ireland. It explains the throngs of Africans and Chinese you see on Dublin's North Side. The country is broke, yet it's spending hundreds of millions on these people and their children. The last time I went to Dublin an African guy welcomed us to Ireland when the Continental Airlines plane door was opened. The previous time it has been an Eastern European woman, maybe Russian. You mean the Irish can't find an Irish man or woman to welcome a plane to Ireland? Then the Irish must be imbeciles.

• WoundedKnee | Aug 09, 2010, 02:34 PM EDT

  I don't know what a Lecturer in Migration Studies studies, but a walk thru downtown Dublin is enough to show that Ireland has pursued a truly crazy policy of Mass Immigration. We don't need to take a course with this guy McEnri to see that he is talking garbage. For example, he quibbles about anchor babies bestowing citizenship on their parents, but the fact is that the Irish government permitted virtually all the parents of these anchor babies to remain in Ireland, even AFTER the people voted to deny the babies citizenship. And once the parents were let stay in Ireland they were on the road to citizenship, because Ireland has extremely lax Naturalization requirements. And I bet McEnri would be the loudest to yelp "wacism" if the Irish government had ever exercised their right to throw these people out of the country. It's disgusting also to see McEnri defend the marriages of convenience that are occurring in Ireland. A month or two ago some woman from Latvia flew in to Ireland, supposedly to marry some pakistani whom she had never met before. The aim? The Pakistani gets to stay in Ireland thru marriage to an EU citizen, the Latvian gets to pocket a few thousand euro before she flies home the next day. And I note he doesn't mention the Lecturer in Immigration Studies nowhere mentions the Chinese woman, who really brought the problem to a head in Ireland. She wanted to settle in Britain, and had not the slightest interst in Ireland. But--and I got to admit she was pretty sharp--she saw the loophole provided by the Irish Constitution, which gave Irish citizenship to anyone born on the island of Ireland. So off she went to Belfast to have her baby! McEnri apparently thinks it's wonderful that such foreigners can connive to subvert Irish law in this fashion, I say it's a disgrace. I don't know what college McEnri works for, but's he's an idiot.

• jflanagan | Aug 09, 2010, 12:46 PM EDT

  After reading Niall for a few months now I can only come to one conclusion. He never leaves the pub in NYC and relies on hallucinations brought on by being overserved to come to his "reasoned debate" points. Niall has obviously never been to Nogales, Brownsville or any border cities with problems of trespassing, shooting, harassment, threats and property destruction.

• AmAncINED | Aug 09, 2010, 12:20 PM EDT

  You left-wingers who want to welcome illegal immigrants into this country to have their babies should line up and start paying the bills for their support. Many of you sit in New York where you don't have a clue what it's like in the border states. How many hospitals have you visited in border states, Niall, to see what's going on? Have you talked to anyone in the Billing dept.? There was a hospital in Texas that was profiled on NBC for "going under" because they were overwhelmed by illegal immigrants using their services, including childbirth and follow-up care. They were treating many mothers & babies who had complications. Obama is going to make all Americans buy health insurance but the ILLEGALS will continue to get their healthcare for FREE!!!! You shouldn't be writing about things you don't have a clue about. Make a trip to Texas, Arizona, Calif., and do some real research. And don't compare what the Nazis did to American immigration policies. That's so assinine.

• maceinri | Aug 09, 2010, 11:48 AM EDT

  I agree with the general thrust of this article, but it contains an unfortunate error. In Ireland 'anchor babies' never automatically 'transferred citizenship to their parents'. Instead, caselaw since the Fajujonu case in 1989 meant that the parent(s) of an Irish-born child could assert a right to residence in Ireland in order that the Irish citizen child could have his/her parents to provide protection and support. That is not the same thing as citizenship although many such parents, having lived for the requisite minimum of five years in Ireland, went on to become Irish citizens. The 2004 referendum changed the heretofore automatic nature of citizenship conferred on any child born in Ireland, thus removing the basis for claims to residence on the grounds of being parents of an Irish citizen. Moreover, the State has shown itself quite prepared to refuse residence rights in various other, related cases, including cases of the non-Irish, non-EU spouse of an Irish or EU citizen, on various questionable grounds, e.g. the alleged 'bogus marriages' even though the State keeps losing such cases in the courts and there are other means of verifying whether a marriage is bogus or not. Niall O'Dowd's point about poisonous rhetoric is quite right. The 2004 referendum in Ireland was accompanied by quite disgraceful and unsustainable claims about thousands of pregnant women arriving on aircraft in this country, even though the vast majority of babies born to foreign-born women in Ireland were cases where the women in question had every right to be here. The Government's irresponsible rhetoric stoked the fires of racist and anti-immigrant sentiment. Piaras Mac Einri Lecturer in Migration Studies Department of Geography UCC

• howareya | Aug 09, 2010, 11:21 AM EDT

  haasny007...you are wrong in that it is only because they are illegal that Spanish speaking illegals don't assimilate! I know quite a few that are legal due to the amnesty back in the 80's and they still can't speak English and send the money home with no intention of becoming a US citizen or learning the language of the land.

• JohnMMcL | Aug 09, 2010, 10:18 AM EDT

  Immagrant laws in both U.S. and Ireland need to be updated. I have witnessed first hand the arrogance of the rather large African imagrants pushing their way through shopping areas and down streets. Most of these immagrants are invading Ireland too live off the dole. All countries need to be a bit selective in who comes their shores.

• DLW12183 | Aug 09, 2010, 10:08 AM EDT

  Niall--your left wing rhetoric shows how stupid you really are. Nobody would deport a baby, therefore, nobody will deport the illegal parents. We will grant them the right to stay. What part don't you understand. Nazi's didn't depot people to get rid of them--they killed them. You can't compare the Nazi policy to deportation of illegal aliens from US soil. Get a life.

• jflanagan | Aug 09, 2010, 09:15 AM EDT

  My post at 10:36 last night had the wrong years cited. It should have been that in 2003 there were 2.8 million babies born to illegal aliens in existence and in 2008 there were 3.8 million. Late night and got tired of trying to find the story on the internet to check the dates. Sorry for the slight misinformation.

• leomurphy | Aug 09, 2010, 08:23 AM EDT

  I think yourself & Ciaran Staunton should be on ALL of the Talk Radio & TV shows & News Programmes to get the FACTS out.

• WoundedKnee | Aug 09, 2010, 03:09 AM EDT

  Bonjour: "I have understood that any family member can 'sponsor' a relative to come over the border; an American baby is not necessary". Looks like you really need to do a bit of research on Immigration policy in the US before you post on this topic. The only sponsorship that works is that of spouse or parent/child. If you're waitng for your sister or aunt to sponsor you you'll find yourself taking the oath of citizenship around 2095. On the wider point, Americans should be happy we don't follow the Irish example as regards Mass Immigration. If we admitted as many immigrants as do the Irish we'd have accepted about 70 million in the past ten years or so. That's the entire combined population of Montana, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Wyoming, West Virginia, Utah, Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Idaho, Washington State, Vermont, New Hampshire --- need I go on? The Irish are mad.

• ladyliberty | Aug 09, 2010, 12:59 AM EDT

  Patrick 45 raises amost important point. Possibly thebiggest threat to the USA.lt is already happening.

• jflanagan | Aug 08, 2010, 10:36 PM EDT

  CBS News, after the Golf was over, reported about how there are 1 million more children born to illegal immigrants (they called the undocumented immigrants) than in 2008. According to the report there were about 2.8 million then and 3.8 million now. It wasn't just from south of the border. Chinese pay $20,000 for a birth trip to the U.S. which includes a place to stay and medical care. There seems to be a lot of them, so I guess this racist claim against those of Hispanic background isn't a valid argument. I don't have a problem with a baby of an illegal alien becoming a citizen, although it seems to be a bastardization of an amendment to protect the newly freed slaves, but believe they should go with their parents until they become of age. The family should not be separated but the illegal shouldn't be given a pass. Yes, Dompedro, I saw the same news story about the 5 busiest districts in terms of criminal cases are the border districts. That was on CBS News this morning, not a "right wing" news station by any measure.

• hollabackgurl | Aug 08, 2010, 06:44 PM EDT

  You can not 'sponsor' a relative for immigration purposes to the US unless you and they ate prepared to wait at least ten years for their papers - and good luck with that. The truth is nowadays it's almost impossible to immigrate here. But the GOP won't tell you that, preferring to bash immigrants in an attempt to take your eyes off the massive tax cuts they're giving to the already rich.

• mpkeaveny | Aug 08, 2010, 06:43 PM EDT

  They were different times when the ancestors of Reagan and Kennedy went to America. Just as they were when my father came here.

• bonjouryall | Aug 08, 2010, 05:19 PM EDT

  I have never heard of the term anchor babies. I have heard of pregnant women coming over the border to have their baby in America. Then they use their 'American' baby to qualify for food stamps and other government programs, all as ridingirl and others state. I have understood that any family member can 'sponsor' a relative to come over the border; an American baby is not necessary. American immigration policy and practice has favored hispanics for decades over the Irish and other Europeans. We need reasoned debate; that leaves this author out of it.

• Monsoonman | Aug 08, 2010, 05:15 PM EDT

  Not to worry though, they and their extended families will be granted citizenship and automatic registration into the democrat party when immigration "reform" is signed into law by obama. The classic pincer movement is about to close on America. Distract and confuse the dumbmasses, in the meantime get rid of the electoral college, appoint judges who believe in the "living US constitution", flood the voting rolls with newly minted "citizens" from the 3rd world, unionize the government workers and bankrupt the country. A simple plan when you see it, but like the frogs put in the pot of cool water on the stove don't realize the fires been turned on and they are boiling to death until it is too late.

• patrick1945 | Aug 08, 2010, 04:55 PM EDT

  The big problem is women flying into the United States, having their baby, and then flying home. Instant citizenship or dual citizenship for their babies. The worry is these children will be raised as terrorist and then be allowed back into the United States in the future as citizens.

• Porickseantuny | Aug 08, 2010, 04:36 PM EDT

  My daughter is a resident MD at a teaching hospital in Chicago. She reiterates what the others have said about illegals overwhelming the ER system and the hospitals forced to treat them and their anchor babies.

• glkatan | Aug 08, 2010, 04:29 PM EDT

  No Irish people living in Ireland have the right to criticize anyone in the U.S. who is negatively affected by illegal immigration. Come live here for ahwile and see what we are talking about. The Irish should understand this because 99% who come to the U.S. come here LEGALLY !!!

• AmAncINED | Aug 08, 2010, 03:48 PM EDT

  As an RN, I know what ridinggirl says is exactly the truth, no matter what any bubble-heads in Washington D.C. or New York say. I've seen this same situation over and over. Wake up, America.

• ridinggirl | Aug 08, 2010, 03:20 PM EDT

  Thank God for Sherriff Apaio. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE SEVERITY OF THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION SITUATION IN THE SOUTH WEST, I recommend that you look at these two links. The first consists of hidden camera videos in only one tiny area of the desert in Federal Land , and shows virtually unlimited entrance to hundreds of illegals, with drugs runners, and several men armed with Mach 10. Aside from the horrible environmental degradation problems, it doesn't take a nuclear physicist to see that there is no one who is posted along these corridors, allowing virtually anyone who wishes, to cross into the US....this includes Islamic Fundamentalists who leave behind Korans and prayer rugs in the miles long stretch of garbage left by the illegals. http://www.cis.org/Videos/HiddenCameras2 The second link is difficult to watch.........it shows the very real consequences JUST SOUTH OF OUR BORDER, of the Mexican Drug Cartel Wars that wage daily and are now spilling over into our country. This is what is coming to the US. Although the web site is in Spanish, just click onto each topic heading and educate yourself with the available pictures. They change daily and weekly. Make no mistake, this is what is coming over the border. http://www.blogdelnarco.com:80/

• ridinggirl | Aug 08, 2010, 03:15 PM EDT

  Its amazing how ignorant some people can be when they are not affected themselves by virtually UNLIMITED ILLEGAL immigration into the southwest corridor of the USA. For decades, busloads full of pregnant Mexican women, READY TO DELIVER, would pull into hospitals in the San Diego California corridor, and I am sure, all along the border in Arizona and Texas as well. The women knew exactly what they were doing. Free medical care, obstetrics care, pediatric care... (The ER cannot turn away any emergency, regardless of the fact that many, like all these illegals, will not pay their bills)......the US taxpayors have for years paid for these deliveries, and then the child is considered a US citizen, even though the parent very deliberately came into this country illegally. How do I know this? Because I was a medical resident in southern California, and was one of many doctors who had to watch the incredible abuse of our medical system. I spoke fluent Spanish at the time. Now the abuse has spread, and the taxpayors are paying to house all the illegal alien violent prisoners, educate children who cannot speak English, continued medical welfare with unbelievable use of the emergency rooms by a culture of people who do not have the tools to better themselves....they are no longer truly Mexican, and certainly are not American in the way of past LEGAL IMMIGRANTS.....if we do not control the US borders, the southwest will become a cesspool of Mexican corruption. Very sad that it has come to this.

• hancock | Aug 08, 2010, 03:08 PM EDT

  Tansey you are a right wing nazi, how dare you disagree with all the smart irish on this website. The fact you live this nightmare and have the gall to give first hand knowledge only makes you more of a fascist in their eyes.

• Flashy5 | Aug 08, 2010, 02:38 PM EDT

  Poppycock

• Dompedro | Aug 08, 2010, 02:23 PM EDT

  Just heard this morning (TV) from Janet Napolitano that crime is down in El Paso and Phoenix and therefore that all is well on the border. Just read this morning that the five most "busy" US Judicial districts (there are 94) are in order: East Texas (Brownsville to Laredo), West Texas (including El Paso), San Diego, Arizona, New Mexico with thousands of cases each (Colorado, in contrast, has about 500 ...... mebbe someone needs a map reading course or one in honesty

• tanseyj | Aug 08, 2010, 02:09 PM EDT

  I live within 10 miles (AZ) of one of the worst crossing places. There are children (anchor babies) that cross the border to attend our schools. They get on a school bus in AZ and return after school. The schools are not allowed to ask if they are illegal. This is costing our schools money which they do not have? Also when an anchor baby is born the parent is not always asked or forced to leave the country. Also the hospital and other expenses are borne by us taxpayers. It is a no win situation for us! This is only a small part of the costs and damages caused here by illegals. Come here to live and find out what we face every day!

• Monsoonman | Aug 08, 2010, 01:29 PM EDT

  Niall, words can be so powerful. So I ask you, was it an oversight on your part to eliminate two words from your statement that totally changes its meaning when you said: "Chasing down new born children and deporting them on the spot smacks of Nazism not the great American democracy"....You did mean to add "and their parents too", didn't you? Because your little ditty(robertsism) of a statement makes it seem that the Nazi stormtroopers (US immigration agents) kick down the doors of private homes and hospital in search of newborns so they can toss them over the rio grand back into Mexico....You didn't want to paint that picture did you Niall? Almost like the edict fro Herod to kill all of the newborn Jewish children, of course we would never want to inflame the argument like that would we.

• haasny007 | Aug 08, 2010, 12:44 PM EDT

  Mick10000: It is not that your Spanish speaking friends are unwilling to integrate themselves into this society, they CANNOT because they are illegal and see no point in making a greater effort to be come a part of their community as there is basically no chance for them to become legal. So they concentrate on making as much money as possible and transfer it to their home countries to have it there if and when they are forced to leave the US. Wouldn't you do the same? Back to my earlier point, historically first generation Americans were fully integrated into society and identified primarily with their country of birth, not that of their parents. That is not (necessarily) the case in Europe where you have much stricter citizenship laws for children of parents who are not citizens than in countries like the US or Canada.

• Mick10000 | Aug 08, 2010, 12:10 PM EDT

  Oh and Haasny07, I can assure you that we are not faring well down in "integrating immigrants". Many of our crossovers are economic refugees who are not really interested in assimilating into American culture, law or language. I have talked to quite a few (I speak Spanish) who freely admit that they are only here to work, send money home, use the system as best they can and return home when things are better. This is not immigration.

• Mick10000 | Aug 08, 2010, 12:02 PM EDT

  Hi Mary, it's me again. Remember what I said about calming down before you have a stroke. I live on the boarder (AZ) and what worries me is that an amendment that was enacted to secure the citizenship of freed slaves after the Civil War, is now encouraging pregnant women to place themselves in the hands of ruthless smugglers and risk their lives and the lives of their unborn children.

• haasny007 | Aug 08, 2010, 11:45 AM EDT

  @ MaryM232: You are obviously aligned with the lunatic fringe of Rush Limbaugh and Glen Beck, et al, and of course, you are just as wrong as they are. The 14th Amendment was not intended to bestow birthright citizenship to African Americans only, but rather all children of immigrants, including the Irish, Italian, Japanese and Chinese. While Chinese and Japanese immigrants were at that time excluded from becoming naturalized US citizens, the 14th Amendment clearly intended to provide for their children to obtain US citizenship at birth as well. The only difference between then and now is that back then there were no 'illegal' immigrants, everyone who made to the US was considered a legal resident. That has clearly changed, but that does not mean that the 14th Amendment explicitly or implicitly excludes children born to illegal immigrants. It does not! Niall is correct in pointing out the hysteria whipped up by the right-wing bigots. I think Ireland's new citizenship law requiring three-year legal residency of at least one parent prior to the birth of the child makes sense. Ireland has by far the most generous 'ius solis' citizenship law within the EU. However, 'classic' immigration countries like the USA, Canada and Australia have always bestowed citizenship right at birth, and fared much better in terms of integrating immigrants into society than European or other countries with more restrictive citizenship laws. So, please let's have a civilized discussion about this topic, not one driven by raw emotions, falsehoods and half-truths!

• jflanagan | Aug 08, 2010, 11:37 AM EDT

  You are very astute, MaryM232. If we adopted the Mexican Immigration Laws and Policies, our overcrowded jails would burst at the seams. The higher ups in Mexico only want to keep their people "enslaved", protecting the corrupt politicians and forcing their poor citizens to risk health and life trying to sneak in to our country. I do believe we should set up an Ellis Island (only multiple sites around the country) style immigration points to allow more people in legally. That way we can ensure safety while helping the country to grow in a reasonable manner.

• patconrey | Aug 08, 2010, 11:34 AM EDT

  Family lore has my great grandfather skipping out of Erin one step ahead of the British who were after him because of his Nationalistic activities. I cannot prove that he entered the USA legally! Ergo, if he was an illegal, does that make my grandfather illegal? Then does this make my dad an illegal and finally am I an illegal? What do I have to do to prove my citizenship! In Germany in the 1930's and 1940's one had to prove that they had no Jewish blood for 5 generations back. Are we going to get to that type of "Show me your papers" If so, I am in BIG DOODOO! I can show a Penna. birth certificate and military papers but I would be hard pressed to show that Great Grandfather didn't produce anchor babies!

• MaryM232 | Aug 08, 2010, 10:59 AM EDT

  When you get right down to it, what has Ireland ever done that was truly great? NOTHING. The Irish perpetually sticking out the begging bowl, it allied with Hitler. How dare you mention John F. Kennedy. His ancestors might have come from Ireland, but he was American, and he made the point against the welfare state, that a citizen's obligation was what they could do to better their country. Why aren't the Irish working hard for change in their country? The same needs to be said to illegal Mexicans, why aren't they working hard to improving Mexico, instead of helping to corrupt it? It's laziness, greed and ignorance on theirs, and the Irish's part. It's why Ireland is cursed, it inspires nothing but increased rot. Ronald Reagan wouldn't have coddled illegals with welfare, he would have made the US intolerable for them.

• MaryM232 | Aug 08, 2010, 10:54 AM EDT

  In Ireland they voted to end birthright citizenship, as was it's right, and it is the US's right to end birthright citizenship, and it's not for other countries to have any say in this. We don't owe you or illegals from Mexico any explanation. Our 14th amendment never offered birthright citizenship, it only recognized the slaves as citizens so their civil rights would be recognized, it was misrepresented by a judge, who wanted to extend it to include the children of illegals. At a time when the costs to subsidize illegal aliens has bankrupted California and other states around the US, that we are in debt, don't have enough jobs, both John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan would have had them deported, instead of allowing them to harm US citizens. The facts are, that the government hasn't deported the illegal alien parents of children born in the US, because they and the illegal alien lobby cry that it's breaking up families.

• Laura Wilson | Aug 08, 2010, 09:48 AM EDT

  these senators & so called big wigs need to remove thier heads out of thier BUM's and join the real world, this is true & they also still think they can marry a u.s citizen & stay in the use i work with Illegals all day everyday i know it 1st hand we need to stop paying for thier babies i had to pay for mine & i pay taxes up the wahoo, not to mention My Insurances here in the good ol US os A SUCKS!!!!! yer the illegals get bags of free meds daily Like candy

• QUEY0227 | Aug 08, 2010, 09:25 AM EDT

  I agree with Senator Lindsay Graham. In Kennett Square Pa. The mushroom capital, have so many of these illegal immigrants , Its unbelievable. The tax payers are paying triple taxes ,because the anchor babies must by law be educated. Their parents pay no taxes so the us citizens who do pay are paying for those children too. Not to mention they get full medical from the state. which we also pay for. Hal-a-Lu-ya Arazona!! Keep up the good work. If you want to come to America to live , do it the right way. stop sneeking in under the fence for free.

• WoundedKnee | Aug 08, 2010, 09:14 AM EDT

  The Irish got it right, but too late. Thousands of Africans had already flooded the country. First thing on the agenda for these people was to have a child in Ireland. Once this was done, even though the law said they could be kicked out of the country, they never were. Result? Huge numbers of Africans now living in ireland, whole schools dominated by their children. We should learn from the Irish experience, though there is one difference. Mexican folks are by and large very hard-working, as distinct from the Nigerians who have flooded into Ireland.