Hidalgo County Democratic Party Chair Dolly Elizondo, state Rep. Veronica Gonzales, and 13th Court of Appeals Justice Linda Yañez. (Photo: RGG/Steve Taylor)

McALLEN, Aug. 20 - At a campaign event on Thursday evening, Hidalgo County Democratic Party Chair Dolly Elizondo speculated that she might have been an “anchor baby.”

Elizondo’s father was from Mexico and would travel back and forth across the border because of work. “Does this make me an anchor baby?” Elizondo asked.

Interviewed by the Guardian afterwards, Elizondo explained her upbringing. “I was born in the United States. I am a product of that unique border crossing situation we have here. Our families go back and forth.”

The issue of “anchor babies” and “terror babies” has made national news over the past month after first state Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, and later U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, appeared on Anderson Cooper’s show on CNN. Click here to watch the Riddle interview and here to watch the Gohmert interview.

Elizondo said the two Republicans are hyping the issue of “anchor babies” and “terror babies” in order to instill fear into Americans ahead of the mid-term elections.

“Anchor babies have to wait 20 years, I believe, in order to apply for their parents to become citizens of the United States. The theory that a woman comes over here to have a baby in order to gain citizenship is totally false. Just research the immigration laws and you will find this is the case,” Elizondo said.

Asked why Republicans are talking about “anchor babies” and “terror babies” and suggesting that Americans who have undocumented parents be stripped of their citizenship, Elizondo said: “The Republican Party is afraid of the Hispanic vote and how big it is going to get in the future. Republicans are afraid of the Democratic Party’s strength in numbers among Hispanics. It is the usual tactic of installing fear.”

The Thursday evening event was held at the Alhambra club in downtown McAllen. It was hosted by various Hidalgo County Democratic groups in order to publicize the campaigns of Attorney General candidate Barbara Ann Radnofsky and Land Commissioner candidate Hector Uribe, both of whom were present.

Elizondo’s reference of “anchor babies” may have prompted state Rep. Veronica Gonzales to include the issue of immigration and citizenship in her speech. The McAllen Democrat ripped into the GOP.

“I want you to tell them (the voters) about these alleged 'anchor babies' and these 'terror babies.' The fact of the matter is they (Republicans) do not want these Hispanics growing up to vote, they don’t want them voting because they know they are going to vote Democrat. They know that the more Hispanics become legal the more Democrats we have in our state and in our country,” Gonzales told the audience, to great applause.

”Let’s show them (Republicans) they have a reason to be scared, that we are going to come out and we are going to be strong and that Hispanics are going to take over this state of Texas.”

Interviewed afterwards by the Guardian about her strong comments, Gonzales said she was “upset” that immigrants and Mexicans are being used as a “wedge issue” by some in the Republican Party.

“The notion that people are coming here to have a baby and then take that child outside of the country and raise it as a terrorist, infiltrate back into the United States is ridiculous,” Gonzales said.

“It is divisive and it is an attempt to divide people. We already have enough division in our country and our state. Hispanics ought to take notice and get up and fight for what they know is right.”

If some Republicans from other parts of Texas are using immigration as a wedge issue, it will not work in South Texas, Gonzales said.

“One thing I have always liked about South Texas is that we are used to living in a multicultural world. The Anglos and Hispanics are related most of the time, they marry, they work together, they own big ranches together. You do not see divisiveness here,” she said.

“When people from other parts of the state start trying to introduce divisive and racially motivated buzz words, Hispanics ought to say, we are not going to have that, that is not what we stand for in our culture, in our Rio Grande Valley and we are going to fight back.”

Among the Republican lawmakers who have called for congressional hearings on the question of American children with undocumented parents being stripped of their citizenship is Texas Senator John Cornyn. Gonzales strongly opposes such a measure.

“To say that because you are an immigrant we are going to strip you of your 14th Amendment Rights and we are going to change the U.S. Constitution is ridiculous. How far back are we going to go? Are we going to include those whose ancestors came over here on the Mayflower?” Gonzales asked.

All the talk of “anchor babies,” “terror babies,” and amending the 14th Amendment will drive more Hispanics away from the Republican brand, Gonzales predicted.

“Let the Republican Party continue to talk ‘anchor babies’ and ‘terror babies’ and that immigrants are only here to be on social security. It will backfire,” Gonzales said.

“The reality is immigrants come here because there is a job here for them, they come here to work, they come here to take care of their families, they happen to get pregnant while they are here. That happens to Americans. They get pregnant and they have children. That same thing is happening to immigrants that come here,” she said.

“You never hear about Canadians coming here to have children, living in our country and overstaying their visa. It is always the Mexicans that are stopped and detained and questioned and required to show their birth certificate. And it is because they are brown.”

Write Steve Taylor

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