In a public post on X dated June 14, 2025, Steve Tanner referred to immigrants as “plant[ing] anchor babies” while broadly associating undocumented immigration with “drug running,” “human trafficking cartels,” and “violent criminals.”
The term “anchor baby” is widely recognized as a derogatory and dehumanizing phrase used in immigration debates to describe children born in the United States to non-citizen parents. Major dictionaries, journalists, and immigration scholars have described the phrase as offensive or disparaging.
Public officials have a responsibility to discuss immigration policy with accuracy, restraint, and respect for human dignity. Critics argue that rhetoric framing entire groups of people primarily as criminal threats or demographic weapons undermines those standards and contributes to division rather than public trust.