US cracks down on illegal foreign birth tourism schemes, revoking hundreds of temporary visas globally.
The Trump administration said Wednesday it will no longer allow foreign visitors to receive temporary visas for the purpose of giving birth to a child with U.S. citizenship. The crackdown came after the State Department said it uncovered what it described as several illegal birth tourism schemes. Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., released a Wednesday statement voicing support for the crackdown. American citizenship is a privilege, not a right, he wrote. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., also lauded the State Department in a Wednesday statement and called for Homeland Security to proactively prosecute lawbreakers.
Birth Tourism Networks Discovered Across Multiple Continents
The State Department said it discovered several birth tourism networks operating on different continents. A U.S. embassy in West Africa uncovered a sophisticated network using fake documents to get themselves visas so that their children could be born in the country with U.S. citizenship, according to the State Department. Over 100 foreign nationals were involved in that scheme, and their visas have been revoked, according to the State Department. A second U.S. embassy in North Africa revoked over 100 visas for alleged birth tourism parents who traveled to the United States for the primary purpose of giving birth.
A third U.S. embassy in Europe flagged over 400 suspected birth tourism cases within the last two years. Investigators traced those cases to several companies that coached visa applicants on visa interviews, arranged for housing in America, and set up birth plans, the State Department said. Officials revoked the alleged fraudsters’ visas and permanently banned several individuals from traveling to the United States again. Consular officers and law enforcement are using data analytics to identify and dismantle more visa abuse networks, the department said.