Investigation into Birth Tourism Companies

Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) is at the forefront of the House Oversight Committee’s inquiry into companies that facilitate birth tourism, allowing foreign nationals to give birth in the U.S. specifically for the purpose of obtaining American citizenship for their children.

Recently, Gill’s Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuse reached out to four birth tourism agencies: Maternity Services of International Maternity Services from El Paso, Texas; Doctor’s Para Ti, also in El Paso; and Dr. Atiyah Javid’s Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic located in San Diego, California.

Gill, in a formal request, is asking these agencies to provide detailed information about their maternity packages. This documentation should include guidance for foreign clients on how to secure temporary visas to enter the U.S. without mentioning their intent to give birth.

He pointed out that, while it isn’t illegal for foreign visitors to have their babies in the U.S., misrepresenting their purpose for a temporary visa constitutes a violation of existing laws, which could be seen as visa fraud. He emphasized the reliance of the birth tourism industry on birthright citizenship as interpreted by the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

In a social media post that gained significant traction, Gill elaborated on how these companies operate nationwide.

“Have My Baby in Miami — that’s an actual company facilitating birth tourism for foreign nationals who come on visas, give birth, and then leave with American citizen children,” Gill noted in a video. “This is a serious issue. The American populace is frustrated with it, and my committee is addressing these companies actively.”

Annually, around 33,000 children are born in the U.S. under these circumstances, gaining birthright citizenship purely because their parents entered the country on temporary visas, often tourist visas.

Years later, those U.S.-born children will have the opportunity to obtain green cards with their parents’ sponsorship.

The birth tourism phenomenon is notably prevalent among various groups, including Turks in New York City, Chinese in California, Russians in Florida, and Middle Eastern nationals in Illinois.

In his recent book, The Invisible Coup: How American Elites and Foreign Powers Use Immigration as a Weapon, author Peter Schweitzer noted that California alone hosts over 100 Chinese-run maternity travel agencies that assist Chinese parents in giving birth in the U.S.

In December 2020, the Department of Justice revealed a significant birth tourism operation in New York City, which had led to more than 100 U.S.-born children of foreign tourists receiving American citizenship. Similarly, a 2019 DOJ investigation uncovered a related scheme in California that aimed to provide birthright citizenship to approximately 8,500 children born to foreign parents who entered the U.S. on tourist visas specifically for childbirth.