Anchor babies—children born in the U.S. to illegal aliens and temporary visa-holders—are draining America’s welfare system, as the New York Times admits in a recent report. These U.S.-born children, granted citizenship by birthright despite their parents having no legal ties to the country, are a major source of taxpayer-funded welfare, benefiting from programs intended for American citizens.
According to the Times, around 12% of all American children—roughly nine million—have at least one non-citizen parent. These children are twice as likely to live in poverty as those with native-born parents. A 2022 Boston University report confirms this troubling statistic. President Donald Trump’s administration has taken steps to address this issue by restricting access to welfare benefits for illegal aliens and non-citizens. His economic agenda includes a tax package that would increase the child tax credit to $2,500 but limit its availability to parents with valid Social Security numbers—effectively cutting off access for many illegal aliens.
The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) has documented the massive welfare use by illegal immigrant households, noting that more than half of these families include at least one U.S.-born child. These families exploit the system, using their child’s birthright citizenship as a pathway to taxpayer-funded benefits like Medicaid, food stamps, and housing assistance.
Estimates place the illegal alien population in the United States at nearly 20 million, with around 250,000 anchor babies born every year. Trump’s administration has consistently pushed to end birthright citizenship and secure the social safety net for American citizens—a move supported by conservative policymakers and millions of voters.
Under current immigration laws, any child born on U.S. soil—regardless of the legal status of their parents—is automatically granted American citizenship. This birthright loophole allows illegal alien families to tap into a range of government benefits, including food assistance, healthcare, and tax credits. By leveraging the citizenship status of their anchor babies, these families gain access to public resources meant for citizens, creating a financial burden on the system and undermining the principles of fair immigration and welfare reform. Critics argue that the ongoing exploitation of birthright citizenship must be addressed to protect the nation’s fiscal integrity and uphold the rule of law.
