The U.S. State Department announced Wednesday that it has established a Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force. The initiative aims to address the practice of birth tourism through enhanced review of nonimmigrant visa holders and coordination with other federal agencies.
Birth tourism refers to the practice in which foreign nationals travel to the United States primarily for the purpose of giving birth so that their child obtains U.S. citizenship under the principle of birthright citizenship. This principle stems from the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which provides that persons born in the United States and subject to its jurisdiction are citizens.
Under existing immigration rules, nonimmigrant visas, such as visitor visas, are not authorized for the primary purpose of obtaining U.S. citizenship for a child by giving birth in the country. Individuals who misrepresent the purpose of their travel may face visa denial, revocation, or other consequences.
According to a State Department fact sheet released the same day, the Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force reviews the activities of visa holders worldwide to identify instances of birth tourism. It takes action to revoke visas of those who engage in or facilitate the practice and works to dismantle networks that profit from it.
To that end, the task force analyzes and connects information held across the Department of State and other federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security. It further monitors travel histories from individuals from around the world and has already revoked more than 600 visas, according to a department fact sheet.
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The announcement follows a recent executive order from President Donald Trump, which defined birth tourism as the entry of any foreign national into the United States via a nonimmigrant visa for the purpose of giving birth on American soil, or any effort by any foreign national to facilitate such entry. It delegates authorities to the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security to implement measures to halt the practice, including rules, policies, and guidance.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Rubio’s leadership, the Department of State is using all available tools to defend the integrity of U.S. citizenship, ensure nonimmigrant visas are used only for their lawful and intended purposes, and prevent their exploitation through birth tourism. As President Trump has made clear, citizenship is not a commodity to be acquired through the calculated exploitation of U.S. immigration laws,” the State Department said in an official statement.
“American citizenship is not for sale. But elaborate birth tourism rings are profiting off the exploitation of America’s laws—coaching foreigners to defraud the U.S. visa system, arranging travel and housing, and even forging documents, all to enable foreign nationals to obtain citizenship for their children. The State Department established a Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force to review the activity of visa holders, dismantle illegal birth tourism networks, and put an end to this heinous abuse of our nation’s laws. In just one month, the Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force has taken action to revoke more than 600 visas from foreign nationals across the globe and will continue to safeguard our nation from this abuse,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a follow-up statement.
“The State Department will use all available tools to dismantle birth tourism networks and defend the integrity of U.S. citizenship.”
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