How do people get such basic information wrong and how does it persist for so long?

I always hear "jesus was an immigrant/refugee/anchor baby".

Lol, no he wasnt, he was born in Bethlhem because the Romans required a census/taxation at this time and Joseph was doing as all law abiding citizens were and traveling to appear for the mandatory census and tax collection.

This is clear as day in the bible, right there in Luke 2

>"Luke:2-1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[1] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,"