The Trump administration launched a new task force this week targeting “birth tourism” as part of its broader immigration crackdown.
The initiative, announced Wednesday, August 12, aims to stop foreign nationals from traveling to the United States on temporary visas specifically to give birth, a practice the administration says exploits the country’s immigration system.
The State Department said the effort had already resulted in more than 600 visas being revoked worldwide.
Birth tourism is exploiting America’s laws: Marco Rubio
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the task force in a statement shared on X, saying it would review the activities of visa holders globally to identify people traveling to the United States specifically to give birth and obtain citizenship for their children.
“Elaborate birth tourism rings are profiting off the exploitation of America’s laws,” he said, alleging that some operations coach foreign nationals on how to deceive U.S. visa officials.
According to an official statement, the task force worked closely with officers stationed at U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide, many of whom had identified recurring patterns of deception among applicants seeking nonimmigrant visas.
It added that they would use “all available tools” to dismantle the networks profiting from the practice and that the effort defends the integrity of the immigration system and does not alter who qualifies for citizenship under the Constitution.
Trump issues executive orders against birth tourism
The launch came a week after President Donald Trump signed two executive orders aimed at curbing the practice, following a Supreme Court ruling in June that struck down his earlier attempt to limit birthright citizenship.
In a statement shared by Trump, he wrote that “citizenship is not a commodity to be acquired through calculated exploitation and evasion of the immigration laws.”
“Birth tourism operators use deceptive advertisements and inducements to entice foreign nationals to travel to the United States for the purpose of giving birth on American soil,” he went on. “They promise citizenship; access to public benefits; and short-term stays in specialized facilities, hotels, or rentals, but often fail to deliver on these promises.”
Birth tourism rings have created menace in the U.S.
According to the State Department, facilitators frequently marketed themselves as doulas, midwives or wellness advocates while advertising “birth in the U.S.” packages that bundled visa coaching with hospital arrangements.
The report also mentioned an example of a couple who allegedly lied about why they were traveling to the U.S., saying they were attending a conference and later taking a vacation.
Officials said they actually traveled to give birth to two children and hid the fact that they already had a child on their second visa application. Their visas were later revoked.
Major prosecutions tied to birth tourism networks have already unfolded in multiple states, with cases brought in California, Texas and the Northern Mariana Islands, according to a report from the Center Square.
Immigration enforcement has been an active part of Trump’s administration
Immigration enforcement has remained one of the defining priorities of Trump’s second term, with his administration pushing for expanded deportations and giving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) a larger role in carrying out its crackdown on undocumented immigrants.
The approach has faced growing opposition, with protesters gathering outside ICE facilities and federal buildings in cities across the country. Demonstrations have called for an end to aggressive immigration enforcement, while criticism of ICE has continued to grow amid concerns over arrests, detention conditions and the use of force.