Chino Hills 'maternity hotel': Residents speak out

CHINO HILLS, Calif. (KABC) -- Rosanna Mitchell updated angry Chino Hills residents about the discovery of a home where she says so-called "anchor babies" are being born.

"Two minivans drive in, people come out with suitcases, they've seen pregnant women, one of the neighbors has actually talked to one of the mothers of the pregnant women and she said, 'Yeah my daughter's staying here she's paying $5,000 a month to have her baby and so it could be a U.S. citizen," Mitchell said.

The news comes as activists continue to focus on shutting down a house owned by Hai Yong Wu.

Neighbors say his website advertises the home as a sort of maternity hotel, charing $5,000 to 15,000 for mothers to stay and have their babies in the U.S. Under the 14th Amendment, those babies would automatically become U.S. citizens.

"When you read the website and they are telling these women how to get through customs to come over here and have their babies, its legally wrong," said neighbor Cathi Fondrick.

Virginia C. Kice with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement addressed the issue in a statement.

"There is nothing in the law that makes it illegal for pregnant women to enter the United States. However, if a pregnant woman or anyone else uses fraud or deception to obtain admission to the U.S., that would be a criminal act," she said.

Eyewitness News tried to talk to one of the cars arriving at the home Thursday, but the driver said he didn't speak English well. The owner of the home could also not be reached for comment.

Meantime, the city of Chino Hills is looking into whether the home is in any sort of code violation, specifically whether the home is being run as a business. The area is only permitted for homes.

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