8% of US babies born to illegals

Unauthorized immigrants comprise slightly more than 4% of the adult population of the U.S., but because they are relatively young and have high birthrates, their children make up a much larger share of both the newborn population (8%) and the child population (7% of those younger than age 18) in this country.

These figures are based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau's March 2009 Current Population Survey, augmented with the Pew Hispanic Center's analysis of the demographic characteristics of the unauthorized immigrant population using a "residual estimation methodology" it has employed for the past five years.

The new Pew Hispanic analysis finds that nearly four-in-five (79%) of the 5.1 million children (younger than age 18) of unauthorized immigrants were born in this country and therefore are U.S. citizens. In total, 4 million U.S.-born children of unauthorized immigrant parents resided in this country in 2009, alongside 1.1 million foreign-born children of unauthorized immigrant parents.

Yes, this is a problem. What to do about it is another question. Those 4 million kids are US citizens and thus are eligible for all the services any other US citizen is entitled. When they grow up, they can vote. They also represent a significant segment of the immigrant community that largely refuses to assimilate.

I know there are many pro-enforcement activists who would like to get rid of the concept of "anchor babies," and on one plane of thought, I sympathize with their position.

But once granted, I can't realistically see taking away citizenship. That smacks of tyranny anyway. Whether the American people want to withdraw the idea of anchor babies is another question, although it is tied up in other rights granted us by the Constitution so that too, may be a chimera.

The real solution is to keep illegals from coming here to have their babies in the first place. And no one in the federal government seems very concerned about that problem at the moment.