The United States has launched an inter-agency task force aimed at stopping birth tourism and has already revoked more than 600 visas held by foreign nationals around the world.
The Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force, announced by the Department of State under President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, targets the practice of non-citizens traveling to the US primarily to give birth so their children can obtain American citizenship. Officials said the effort forms part of a wider campaign to protect the integrity of US citizenship and ensure non-immigrant visas are used only for their intended purposes.
The move follows two executive orders signed by Trump the previous week. Those orders direct federal agencies to deny visas, revoke travel authorization, and deport individuals found to have entered the country for the purpose of giving birth.
According to a State Department fact sheet, the task force will operate globally. It will review applicants’ travel and visa histories, identify cases of birth tourism, revoke visas of those involved, and work to dismantle the organized networks that profit from facilitating the practice. The Department of State is coordinating closely with the Department of Homeland Security.
Officials warned that anyone who willfully misrepresents the purpose of their travel or entry may become permanently ineligible for a US visa or admission. “Citizenship is not a commodity to be acquired through the calculated exploitation of US immigration laws,” the Department stated. “The Department of State is using all available tools to defend the integrity of US citizenship.”
Consular officers at US embassies and consulates, including those in Abuja and Lagos, have been instructed to increase scrutiny of visa applications that show red flags pointing to an intent to travel for childbirth.
The State Department described birth tourism as a widespread, for-profit industry spanning every region of the globe. Facilitators often market packages online that include visa coaching, housing, and hospital arrangements, sometimes presenting themselves as doulas, midwives, or wellness advocates. In some cases, authorities say, operators forge medical documents or coach clients to conceal their true purpose and avoid hospital bills. Advertisements have promised “automatic citizenship and a future without borders.”
The Bureau of Consular Affairs cited examples of the patterns it is targeting. One couple used a conference and vacation as cover, gave birth to two children in the US, and later lied on a second visa application while hiding the existence of a US-born child; both visas were revoked. In another case, a foreign government official obtained a one-week official visa but stayed three months and gave birth before departing. A third traveler applied for a vacation visa to Orlando, Florida, but traveled to Los Angeles and gave birth five days after arrival. Those visas were also revoked.
The task force will continue analyzing data held by the State Department and DHS to detect patterns and networks. It will also train consular officers to better spot misrepresentation during visa interviews.
Secretary Rubio has emphasized that American citizenship “is not for sale” and that the administration will keep using every available tool to dismantle the networks involved.
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