King’s “Birthright Citizenship Act of 2012” Introduced With Foul Statement Calling Immigrant Children “Anchor Babies”
Des Moines, IA – Last week, with the beginning of the new legislative session, Congressman Steve King once again introduced legislation to place restrictions on the rights and status of children born to undocumented immigrants in the United States. In a prepared statement, King referred to this children as “anchor babies” and defended a bill that would directly contradict the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
In response, Matt Sinovic, executive director of Progress Iowa issued the following statement:
“After a long and contentious re-election battle where Rep. Steve King repeatedly touted his status as a ‘full-spectrum constitutional conservative,’ it’s disappointing that he would immediately introduce legislation to restrict the rights and status of immigrant children and contradict a constitutional amendment repeatedly upheld by the Supreme Court. It’s clear that King only values the Constitution to the degree that it suits his own extremist agenda.
At a time when many Iowans are struggling to make ends meet and want their leaders to come together and find solutions to real issues, like creating jobs and avoiding massive cuts to programs like Social Security and Medicare, King is focused on the politics of division. To do so using dehumanizing rhetoric, such as calling immigrant children ‘anchor babies,’ shows King to be completely out-of-touch with Iowa values.
Congressman King, no baby born in this country is an “anchor,” and shouldn’t be penalized or deprived of human rights simply because of the choices of their parents.”
Progress Iowa is a statewide, non-partisan advocacy group made up of over 2,000 members promoting progressive values and working for a better and more just Iowa.