Birth Tourism in the US Could Be on Borrowed Time
Summary
The U.S. government is increasing efforts to stop birth tourism, where pregnant foreign nationals travel to the U.S. to give birth so their children gain citizenship. Federal agencies are investigating networks that help with these practices, focusing on visa fraud and other crimes, while President Donald Trump has signed an order to limit automatic birthright citizenship, a move currently challenged in the Supreme Court.Key Facts
- Birth tourism is when people travel to another country to give birth so their child gets citizenship there.
- About 26,000 births in the U.S. each year may be linked to birth tourism, out of 3.5 million total births.
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) launched a "Birth Tourism Initiative" investigating networks that aid pregnant foreign nationals in obtaining visas under false pretenses.
- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is targeting organized groups involved in visa fraud and other crimes related to birth tourism.
- Giving birth in the U.S. is not illegal, but lying on visa applications and other fraud are against the law.
- In January 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to restrict automatic birthright citizenship for certain children born in the U.S.
- The executive order has led to legal challenges currently before the Supreme Court.
- The 14th Amendment grants citizenship to anyone born in the U.S., but this is under review due to the executive order.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.