Who are the 'anchor' children, where does the trend give birth to in the USA in Ukraine, and why does Trump fight this?

“Sasha, don’t jump off the swing,” is heard at a playground in the suburbs of Miami. This place is called “Little Moscow”, that is, “Little Moscow”. You hear Russian here more often than English.

Фото: Depositphotos

During the half-day we spent in this park on the Atlantic coast, we met only one Ukrainian-speaking mother. Yana Maksimyak is from the Rivne region. Her son Luka is one and a half years old. She moved to America six years ago, when her husband got a job here, but she says that many of her Ukrainian friends go to the USA specifically to have children.

Baby tourism

“We have friends, they came here to give birth to their third child,” says Yana. “And a friend said that there was no comparison with Ukraine, she was so happy that they might return here to give birth to their fourth child.”

This process is called “maternity tourism”, and children who are specially born in the United States by non-US parents are called “anchor”. Like, for them, like an anchor, parents “cling”, in order to get a green card and citizenship.

"Citizenship by the Law of the Land"

The 14 Amendment to the US Constitution automatically grants American citizenship to any child born in the country. Even if the parents are in the US illegally. The only exceptions are children of diplomats.

Together with this, the so-called “maternity tourism” arose, when future parents from all over the world go to the United States, only to give birth to a child. Most often, women give birth to fly to New York, Los Angeles and Miami.

Ukrainians are not the first and not the last

American media write that they probably started this trend from China, however, there is no reliable data to confirm this. Among the leading countries, Korea, Nigeria, Turkey, Brazil and Russia are also often celebrated.

In recent years, obstetricians in Miami, who work mainly with Slavic women, told us that Ukrainian women come to them. There was even a whole business industry of intermediary agencies, clinics and doctors who help foreigners arrange labor in the United States.

The obstetrician-gynecologist Rember Santos from Cuba in Miami has been living and working already for the year 23. Patients from Eastern Europe in his practice account for almost half, he says.

Ekaterina Khramova has lived in Miami for 6 years and collaborates with intermediary agencies - photographing mothers and families. She recently gave birth to her third child. She says that over the past two years she began to meet fewer Russian expectant mothers, and more and more Ukrainian ones. And he adds: “Of course, everyone likes walking in the last months and weeks of pregnancy in such a climate, next to the ocean.”

Фото: Depositphotos

The goal is an American passport

Giving birth to a child in the USA is a fashionable trend among Ukrainian celebrities, but not everyone is ready to talk about it openly.

Alena Dronik and her husband have a D-side production center in Kiev. She does not hide the reasons why she gave birth to her second child in Miami. He says the American passport, they hope, will help the child make a career on the American stage.

“Why not try to give birth in America in order to give a good future to your child? - says the young mother. — Of course, the first goal is citizenship. A child can always choose Ukrainian citizenship, but in any case, we give him this chance right away.”

How it works

Most parents who do not have relatives or friends in the United States who can advise and support turn to intermediary agencies that help with paperwork, finding a doctor, renting housing and a car. One of the largest such companies in Ukraine is Stork USA. Founder Elena Balmiller says: two and a half years ago, she herself gave birth to a son in Miami and realized that she wanted to help others with this.

She reminds future parents of a child with an American passport: “It is important that after 21 years, when the child is an adult, the parents can apply for family reunification and receive a green card.”

Nailya Valiyeva opened her agency Happy Baby after living here in Miami, helped here to give birth to several relatives and girlfriends. Her company provides both advice and a full package of services. She explains: foreigners can give birth in the USA quite legally.

“It’s not illegal to travel to Miami to give birth if you want to go to the US and give birth here,” says Valieva. “You recognize that here is one of the best medicine in the world, an excellent climate, ideal conditions for mothers, a relaxed atmosphere.”

Price issue

Future moms usually open a regular tourist visa (160 dollars), for which they should, among other things, confirm their place of residence, have return tickets (from about 700 dollars), a bank account and sufficient funds to cover medical expenses.

It may take up to three months to obtain a visa. In the USA, women arrive a month before giving birth and stay at least 4-6 weeks after - until the baby grows up and documents are prepared.

To give birth to a child in Miami, along with accommodation, payment of services of the clinic and the doctor costs an average of 20 000 dollars.

Elena Balmiller explains: “This is a boutique business and a boutique service. We do not focus on mass participation."

The package, which includes preparation, organization and maintenance, documents and medicine, costs 17,5 thousands of dollars to its customers.

There is also a VIP package, which includes an apartment on the “first line”, accommodation for three months, flights, medicine, a car, and documents for the child. It costs $60.

Trump's Promise

About his desire to stop baby tourism and to cancel the granting of citizenship by right of birth, US President Donald Trump stated during his election campaign. At the end of October of this year, he said that he wanted to make his intention a reality by decree.

Trump and his supporters believe that illegal migrants and intermediary companies that provide maternity tourism services are abusing this constitutional right.

However, even those who agree with the president’s migration policy have doubts about the legal side of Trump’s plan, since the right to citizenship by birth is enshrined in the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution. The President cannot amend the Constitution—only Congress can. In addition, there have been several court decisions that have set precedents in support of this right.

Фото: Depositphotos

Maternity tourism in numbers

Pew Research estimates that about 300 children are born in the United States each year to undocumented immigrant parents. This is about 000% of all children born in the country. The highest rates are in states bordering Mexico: in Arizona - 7% of births - and in Texas - 21% (data for 25).

The Immigration Research Center has other statistics: a total of 36 000 children per year are born in the United States as a result of maternity tourism.

However, experts say, parents usually take the baby back to their countries. They may plan to move to the United States when the child reaches the 21 of the year and will be eligible to invite a family to the United States. Therefore, in order to abuse the 14 amendment, you need very long-term planning, which does not always work.

And what about other countries?

Obtaining citizenship by “right of the land” exists in more than 30 countries around the world.

For example, France abandoned this practice in 1993. Children of foreigners must live there for 18 years to automatically receive a French passport.

In 2005, Ireland was the last of the EU countries to renounce the right of citizenship by birth. This decision was supported by 80% of referendum participants. Citizenship is granted there only if at least one of the parents is Irish.

The original column is published on the website. Ukrainian service "Voices of America".

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