US Revokes More Than 600 Visas in Birth Tourism Crackdown

Washington — The United States has revoked more than 600 visas from foreign nationals as part of a new effort targeting birth tourism and those who help facilitate it, the State Department said Wednesday.

The department said it created a Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force to identify visa holders who traveled to the United States primarily to give birth, as well as individuals and businesses that arranged or promoted such travel.

The task force reviews visa holders’ travel histories and information from the State Department, Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies. Its goal is to identify suspected cases, revoke visas and disrupt networks that profit from birth tourism.

“The Birth Tourism task force has taken action by revoking more than 600 visas from foreign nationals across the globe to safeguard our nation from this abuse,” the State Department said in a fact sheet.

The department said visas are generally revoked when officials uncover information indicating that a holder may no longer be eligible. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also has broad authority to revoke visas.

The crackdown follows an executive order issued by President Donald Trump on Aug. 6 defining birth tourism as travel to the United States on a nonimmigrant visa for the purpose of giving birth in the country. The order also targets people who facilitate such travel.

Under the order, the secretaries of state and homeland security may deny or revoke visas, prevent entry, remove travelers and permanently bar individuals found to have engaged in birth tourism. Exceptions may be granted for humanitarian or national-interest reasons.

The State Department said some facilitators have built profitable businesses around the practice, advertising services that include visa coaching, hospital arrangements and assistance with childbirth in the United States. Some operators present themselves as doulas, midwives or wellness professionals.

Officials also alleged that some facilitators falsify medical records or coach clients to conceal the true purpose of their trips and avoid paying hospital expenses.

The department cited several cases in which travelers allegedly misrepresented their plans to U.S. consular officials.

In one case, a couple used a conference and shopping trip as explanations for travel while giving birth to two children in the United States. Officials said they provided false information in two separate visa applications and concealed the existence of one child during the second application. Their visas were revoked.

In another case, a foreign government official obtained a visa for what was described as a one-week official visit but remained in the United States for three months and gave birth before leaving. Her visa was later revoked.

Another traveler told officials she planned to vacation in Orlando but instead traveled to Los Angeles, where she gave birth five days after arriving. Her visa was also revoked.

The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1868, states that people born or naturalized in the United States and subject to its jurisdiction are U.S. citizens, forming the longstanding constitutional basis for birthright citizenship. (Source: IANS)