Jeb Bush: People should ‘chill out’ on the ‘anchor baby’ controversy

 

Bush defended his "anchor baby" comments. REUTERS/Dominick Reuter

This story has been updated.
McALLEN, TEXAS — Former Florida governor Jeb Bush on Monday dismissed the controversy surrounding his use of the term “anchor baby” during a visit to this U.S.-Mexico border town, saying that he merely used the term to describe instances in which non-Americans abuse the law to gain citizenship for their children, and that it is more prevalent among Asians.
“What I was talking about was the specific case of fraud being committed where there is organized efforts — and frankly it’s more related to Asian people — coming into our country, having children in that organized effort, taking advantage of a noble concept, which is birthright citizenship,” Bush told reporters during a press conference at Palenque Grill in McAllen.
The former Florida governor’s newly-added public event in the Texas town, which sits near the southernmost tip of the state, were designed to paint a sharp contrast between his immigration reform agenda and the platform outlined last week by presidential rival Donald Trump. The business mogul has called for the mass deportation of the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States and for building a wall along the entire southern border.