The US Department of State has established a Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force to stop foreigners from "exploiting" nonimmigrant visas to give birth in the US and secure citizenship for their children.
Under the leadership of US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department said on Wednesday that it is using every available tool to protect the integrity of US citizenship and ensure visas are used only for their lawful purposes.
"The Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force reviews the activities of visa holders worldwide to identify instances of birth tourism, take action to revoke visas of those who engage in or facilitate it, and dismantle the networks that profit from this abuse," the department said in a statement.
By analysing and connecting information across the State Department and other federal agencies, the group is examining travel histories on a global scale.
"The taskforce has taken action by revoking more than 600 visas from foreign nationals across the globe to safeguard our nation from this abuse," the statement said.
Officials described "birth tourism" as a lucrative for-profit industry.
Facilitators often present themselves as doulas, midwives, or wellness advocates while advertising "birth in the US" packages that include visa coaching and hospital arrangements.
"Some forge medical documents or coach clients to conceal their true travel purpose and avoid paying hospital bills, with online marketing promising clients automatic citizenship and a future without borders," the US State Department added.
Cases where visas were revoked
The department cited specific cases including a couple who claimed they were attending a conference and going shopping on vacation in order to give birth to two children in the US.
The statement said the couple lied on two separate visa applications and concealed the existence of a child the second time. There "visas have been revoked," it said.
Another example the US cited was of a foreign government official who requested a one-week visa for official business but stayed three months, gave birth in the US, and then left. The visas were cancelled, the US State Department said.
A traveller who applied for a visa to go on holiday in Orlando flew to Los Angeles instead and gave birth five days after arrival. Their visa was subsequently revoked by the department.
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees birthright citizenship to almost all children born in the US, irrespective of their parents' immigration status.
Although the US administration's measures against "birth tourism" do not alter constitutional rights, they target those using fraud or deception to secure visas to give birth in the US.
The announcement of new task force comes days after Trump signed an order targeting those who he said enter the country under the guise of tourism while actually intending to give birth.
That order came after US Supreme Court struck down President Trump’s previous effort to restrict the constitutionally granted right in a late June ruling that Trump described as "very unfortunate."
The 14th Amendment states: "All persons born or naturalised in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States."
It does not apply to those not subject to US jurisdiction — the children of foreign diplomats, for example — and under US law, visas can already be denied if a consular officer believes the applicant is traveling to the country for the primary purpose of giving birth.
The US administration unsuccessfully argued that the 14th Amendment, passed in the wake of the 1861-1865 Civil War, addresses citizenship rights of former slaves and not the children of undocumented migrants or visitors.
