“Anchor Babies”, German-Style

We’re used to the phenomenon of “anchor babies” here in the USA, where any expectant mother who can get into the country in time to give birth will have an American citizen for a son or daughter.

But a similar problem now exists in Germany and Austria. If unaccompanied minors get into the country, they can stay, and later bring in their parents for “family reunification”. Those kids tug at the heartstrings — they can’t be thrown out, now, can they?

Och, the puir wee bairns!

How do you say that in German?

Many thanks to JLH for this translation from Zuerst:

“Anchor” Children Become a Problem

Flood of Underage Foreigners Increases

July 19, 2014

BERLIN: A problem is making the rounds: “anchor children” — that is, unaccompanied, underage refugees brought in by people smugglers. After receiving their residence permits, they send for their parents, siblings and other relatives. Their number in Germany is on the rise.

This phenomenon is not confined to Europe, but also exists in the USA. Bypassing Congress in 2012, President Barack Obama defanged the immigration law. From that time on, young immigrants in the USA would not be sent back. Obama mandated that immigrants arriving as children or youths may no longer be deported. Furthermore, they have the right to apply for a job.

The fact cannot be argued away that Obama’s and his administration’s controversial immigration policy has been bearing fruit for a long time, in the form of increasing numbers of illegal border crossings by South- and Central Americans. Last year, new negative records were reached in connection with the problem of the “anchor children.” According to Homeland Security, over 52,000 underage immigrants without parents had been picked up along the Mexican border since October. The children and young people come mostly from Central American and are fleeing poverty or violence.

Homeland Security, which is responsible for protecting the border, has no estimate of unreported cases, and it could be in the tens of thousands, not counting the number of dead and kidnapped.

The “anchor children” who have come to Germany have no settled residence status. They are hoping for a residence permission which will allow their parents, siblings and other relatives to come to Germany without problems. Only a few of these anchor children apply for asylum. There were 2,096 unaccompanied refugee minors in 2012 — three times as many as in 2008. There are no nationwide figures for how many unaccompanied refugee minors are living in Germany now.

Since 2005, youth offices have been obligated to take children and young people into care, if they are in Germany unaccompanied. Most of the support is supplied by branches of Child and Youth Welfare.

In 2012 in Austria, a total of 1,631 unaccompanied children were apprehended by the Ministry of the Interior.

5 thoughts on ““Anchor Babies”, German-Style

  1. Even if they allow them to stay, why should they allow them to sponsor their relatives? The general rule should be that an illegal immigrant should never be allowed to sponsor anyone. Indeed, it should be the rule that an illegal immigrant should be forever banned from citizenship. Even if they marry a citizen and have children who are citizens, they themselves will never be allowed to be citizens.

  2. This same palaver has been going on in California and the southwest since Regan unplugged the sinkhole with amnesty back in the eighties. To-day the future looks very nonwhite or English speaking. What are the chances of the silly citizens and cap in hand ‘guvnors’ in the world west doing anything intelligent about the muslim version of ‘shock and awe’? Like Communists in the fifties the Muslim Brotherhood have influence in high places once unimaginable. Europe should be a cake walk – I imagine.

  3. Sweden recieved 3852 underaged unacompanied asylum seekers in 2013 and the numbers will probably double this year.

    The majority of them don’t have any legal documents to show so it’s impossible to know how old they are or what country they come from.
    No dental or medical exams to determine their age is done, only in very rare cases.
    The Migration board will believe their stories and give them permanent residence, for life.

    Cost: 1900 kronor (200 Euros or $270) per day per child minumum just for the cost of living in an assisted facility for minors.
    Or 600 000 kronor (65 000 Euros or $85 000) per child per year until they are at least 21.
    Plus the cost for health care, dental care, councelling, cost of education and pocket money for the “children” from the government.

    We’re running a very expensive boarding school for foreigners, paid for with tax money.

  4. This is not dissimilar to actions taken here in America. Unaccompanied minors, once they arrive, join some remote relation, then the parents come, or the parents arrive first, then send for the children. The same scam is also available for legally admitted refugees. Once one gets here, they send for the family, both legally and illegally.

  5. I like symmetry in the law. Suppose that US law was that any child born to a US citizen in a foreign state must NOT be considered American, but rather a citizen of that foreign state. This would be consistent with according citizenship by location of birth alone, quite independent of the citizenship (and supposed loyalty) of the parents.

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