Legal Commentary

Penelope Cruz: U.S. Property Owner, Tax Revenue Generator

By Jeralyn

Fox News Latino could not have made a more misinformed choice to make a point about "anchor babies." Penelope Cruz is not an undocumented resident. Her presence in this country is entirely lawful. She moved to California at the age of 25. She also lived in New York for a number of years. She owns real estate in the U.S.

Penelope Cruz owns a number of homes including a Balinese residence in the Hollywood Hills, a home in Madrid, Spain, and a newer property Cruz and new husband Javier Bardem enhabit in Coldwater Canyon, Los Angeles.

Among her American made films are “Blow,” “Vanilla Sky” and “Nine.” "Blow" grossed $53 million in the U.S. Its production budget was $53 million. Not only did it generate income and jobs, it also generated U.S. tax revenue. She was also in Sex and the City II. The lifetime gross of all the films she's been is exceeds $500 million. One can only imagine how much money the upcoming Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides will generate in the U.S.

Even Republican Latinos are outraged: [More...]

“Fox News Latino is being insensitive and their actions are reprehensible.The term ‘anchor baby’ is equivalent to other defamatory terms such as ‘wetback,’ ‘pickan**ny’ and ‘tar baby.’ Media outlets should never use these demeaning terms in connection with precious babies, and it is unfortunate that we have to inform FOX News of this when they are typically viewed as conservative.”

Dante at Daily Kos has more, as does Media Matters.

Penelope Cruz was born and raised in Spain. If she were not Hispanic, would the radical right have chosen her to denigrate? Has anyone ever called Nicole Kidman an "anchor baby?" Kidman has dual citizenship in Australia and the United States because her Australian parents (non U.S. citizens) were in Hawaii when she was born, entitling her to U.S. citizenship. The attack on Cruz is just another blatant example of hateful anti-immigrant bigotry.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on December 19, 2010 (boomark / email).