The best available estimate I found says about 320,000 babies were born in the U.S. in 2023 to mothers who were unauthorized immigrants or had temporary legal status, which is about 9% of all U.S. births that year. A separate breakdown in the same reporting says about 245,000 were born to unauthorized immigrant mothers and fathers who were not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.

What that means

The term “anchor baby” is a political label , not a medical or official census category, so there is no single official government count under that name. Depending on how someone defines it, the number can mean either the broader 320,000 figure or the narrower 245,000 figure.

Context

The total number of U.S. births in 2023 was about 3.52 million to 3.6 million , depending on the source’s rounding and reporting basis. So the relevant share is roughly 1 in 11 births at the broader estimate.

Bottom line

If you mean the broad public claim, the answer is about 320,000 in 2023. If you mean the narrower claim about babies who would not qualify for birthright citizenship under the reporting’s definition, it’s about 245,000.