WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) condemns the use of the derogatory term “anchor babies,” especially in challenging the constitutional right to birthright citizenship. From the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and legislative attempts to overturn United States v. Wong Kim Ark to now calling us “anchor babies,” Asian American and Pacific Islander communities continue to be discriminated against as part of larger anti-immigrant rhetoric.

We urge lawmakers to instead focus on developing humane legislative solutions to reform our broken immigration system. Any debate around immigration reform should align with our values of equality and fair treatment and promote the human rights and dignity of all people.