WASHINGTON, DC – As legal groups file a lawsuit against United States President Donald J. Trump’s new birthright citizenship order for immigrants, the administration has established a task force for ending what it described as “birth tourism”.
“Under President Trump and Secretary (Marco) Rubio’s leadership, the Department of State is using all available tools to defend the integrity of US citizenship, ensure nonimmigrant visas are used only for their lawful and intended purposes, and prevent their exploitation through birth tourism,” said the State Department in a statement.
“As President Trump has made clear, citizenship is not a commodity to be acquired through the calculated exploitation of US immigration laws,” it added, stating that it is “working closely with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to combat birth tourism and protect the integrity of the US immigration system”.
To maximise the success of this comprehensive effort, the State Department said the Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force will review 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 State Department said the Task Force will address the abuse by analysing and connecting information held across the Department and other federal agencies, including the DHS.
“Thanks to the coordination of the Task Force, the Department of State is addressing birth tourism on a global scale, examining travel histories of individuals from all around the world in order to end this exploitation and abuse,” it said, disclosing that the Birth Tourism Task Force has already taken action by revoking more than 600 visas from foreign nationals across the globe.
The State Department said it generally revokes visas when there are indications of potential ineligibility.
“The Secretary has broad discretionary authority to revoke visas – and the Trump administration is committed to exercising that authority to protect the American people and the integrity of our immigration system,” it said, claiming that facilitators have turned birth tourism into a lucrative, for-profit industry.
“These facilitators sometimes market themselves as doulas, midwives, or wellness advocates while openly advertising ‘birth in the US’ services, 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 facts are clear – birth tourism is a pervasive practice that involves nationals from countries spanning every region of the globe,” it continued. “The Department is taking action to dismantle these networks and hold all participants accountable.”
The State Department warned that foreigners who willfully misrepresent the purpose of their travel or entry into the United States may be permanently ineligible for a US visa or entry to the United States.
It said it has uncovered patterns that illustrate the lengths some applicants will go to circumvent US laws in order to secure US citizenship for their children, and potentially for themselves in the future.
“Citizenship is not a commodity to be acquired through calculated exploitation and evasion of the immigration laws,” the State Department said. “Foreign nationals who abuse the visa system, and those who help them do so, may lose their visa, their access, and their future in the United States. This is only the beginning.”
On Wednesday, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said it and other legal groups are asking a federal district court to ensure those children remain protected from the president’s latest attacks.
The ACLU said that the US Supreme Court handed the civil and legal rights organisations a “resounding win” on June 30 in Trump v. Barbara, when it struck down the president’s order that “sought to undo this fundamental constitutional protection.”
On Tuesday, the organisation said it asked a federal district court in Concord, New Hampshire to make it unquestionably clear that the citizenship of babies covered by that class-action lawsuit is protected despite this new executive order.
