Expanding President Donald Trump’s fight against birthright citizenship and ‘Birth Tourism’ in the United States, the US Department of State announced the launch of a ‘Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force’ on Wednesday, August 12 (US time).
Under the leadership of POTUS and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, authorities will use all available tools to defend “the integrity of US citizenship,” ensure non-immigrant visas are used only for their lawfully intended purposes, and prevent their exploitation through birth tourism, according to a news release published by the US State Department. The government agency has collaborated with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the expanded crackdown effort.
Rubio has confirmed that the newly established task force has already revoked more than 600 visas from foreign nationals worldwide. The major announcement on the US immigration front comes less than a week after Trump signed two executive orders to what he describes as protecting the “meaning and value of American citizenship” after a June 30 ruling (Trump v Barbara) saw the US Supreme Court strike down a previous executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship.
The Republican leader has made eliminating birthright citizenship, currently granted under the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution, one of his signature agendas since returning to office last year. He has particularly targeted the so-called ‘Birth Tourism,’ aiming at foreign nationals coming to the US for the sole purpose of giving birth so that the child could automatically gain a US citizen’s status.
Consequently, the Trump administration has branded this practice as another instance of “visa abuse” or “visa fraud” as the ongoing larger crackdown on immigration has even expanded to curb legal pathways granting entry into the country.
‘American citizenship is not for sale’: Marco Rubio
Announcing the establishment of the Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force, US State Secretary Marco Rubio reiterated what he has endlessly repeated during Trump’s second term: “American citizenship is not for sale.”
In a statement on X, he noted that “elaborate birth tourism rings” have turned the practice into a lucrative industry, as they continue to profit by exploiting America’s laws. He accused such alleged collectives of “coaching” international migrants on how to defraud the US visa system, arranging travel and housing for foreign nationals coming to the US and even forging documents to enable international visitors to obtain citizenship for their children.
What will the Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force do?
By reviewing the activity of visa holders in the US, the Trump administration’s recently formed interagency task force seeks to dismantle illegal birth tourism networks. As part of the process, the Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force will identify instances of birth tourism and take necessary action to revoke visas of those engaging with the legal loophole.
Through this task force, the State Department is expanding the screening process to a global level by looking into travel histories of people from around the world. Given its broad foundation, consular offices at US embassies and consulates across the globe will help the US government expose the prevalent patterns certain foreign nationals have resorted to in order to game the country’s birthright citizenship clause.
According to the US State Department’s statement, some of these instances involving willful misrepresentation of one’s purpose of entry into the US have included a couple using a conference and a vacation trip as an excuse to go shopping. With two separate visa applications backing them, the pair ultimately gave birth to the two children in the US, and eventually concealed that they had a child on the second occasion.
Another case which resulted in visa revocation involved a foreign government official requesting a visa to travel on behalf of her country’s government for a week. However, the US State Department states that she ended up staying three months and giving birth in America before her departure.
A third incident, as detailed by the Trump administration, involved a traveller applying for a visa to vacation in Orlando, only to visit Los Angeles instead and give birth five days later.
What does data tell us about birth tourism in the US?
Although government figures don’t specifically shed light on the extent of women coming to the United States on tourist visas to give birth, the most recent estimate from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shows that just over 9,500 babies were born to foreign women in the US in 2024. These figures account for mothers with foreign addresses. Conversely, CDC estimates indicate that 3.7 million US births were recorded in total that same year.
On the other hand, a 2026 report by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) states that the most expansive census-based estimate puts birth tourism at 22,000 to 26,000 babies born a year on US soil.
A White House fact sheet dated August 6 confirmed that Trump’s renewed efforts to limit birthright citizenship have centred around two new executive orders. The first one expands the definition of non-citizens who are ineligible for birthright citizenship. The second signed order bans the so-called birth tourism, delegating presidential authorities to the Secretary of State and DHS to keep things in check.
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