Republicans Take Republicans to Task for use of Anchor baby

You can’t expect people to stop a behavior if you don’t take them to task for doing it. I’ve been writing in general terms about the use of the words “anchor babies” to describe American citizens born to undocumented parents. I’ve called out Fox News for doing it and wrote about a Tennessee state representative who referred to Latinos as rats. But now a group of Latino republicans is calling out people in their own ranks for using terms that are offensive to Latinos.

Somos Republicanos has demanded that a Nebraska state senator apologize for using the term “anchor baby.” According to the Journalstar.com Sen. Charlie Janssen says he can’t remember using the term, but that he more than likely did. His Facebook page has links to articles that use the term.

“It is what it is,” Janssen said. “I probably have used it.”

Refreshingly cynical, don’t you think?

Somos Republicanos’ Midwest director Bob Quasius called the senator’s actions reprehensible. That’s a start.

“Quasius, who lived in Papillion until July and now lives in Ankeny, Iowa, said the term compared babies to inanimate objects, used them as political footballs and diminished the value of human life.
No credible study shows women come here illegally to have babies in an effort to help them establish citizenship, he said. If the parents entered the country illegally, they would have to go back and wait 10 years before applying to come in legally.”

That’s even better. You can imagine Janssen’s reply to the demand for an apology: “they’re not going to get one.”