Proposed Legislation Targets Birth Tourism
A new bill, put forth by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), aims to tackle birth tourism by introducing stricter criminal penalties for those involved in the process. Mace expressed to Breitbart News that her proposed legislation, dubbed the “American Citizenship Integrity Act,” seeks to definitively close the door on what she refers to as a scam.
On Thursday, Mace detailed that this legislation would categorize actions such as recruiting, transporting, or sheltering noncitizen individuals with the intent of securing U.S. citizenship for their newborns as “trafficking.”
If the bill becomes law, those caught engaging in these activities could face prison sentences of up to 15 years for individual offenses, and criminal organizations could be penalized with up to 30 years in prison.
According to Steven Camarota, Director of Research at the Center for Immigration Studies, as many as 300,000 children born in the U.S. over the past ten years could be attributed to birth tourists. This figure was disclosed during a recent House Oversight Committee task force hearing.
Camarota mentioned, “Our best estimate for the annual births to tourists ranges between 20,000 to 26,000, based on data from 2016 and 2017. While some might view that as a small fraction of total annual U.S. births, the cumulative effect is significant. If previous estimates hold, we’re looking at around 200,000 to 300,000 births from tourists in the last decade — not an insubstantial number.”
Despite the previous administration’s attempts to eliminate birthright citizenship, a Supreme Court ruling in June upheld the existing policy with a narrow 5-4 vote.
In a sarcastic response to the ruling, former President Trump congratulated China on the “birthright citizenship win,” while also expressing his desire for Congress to bypass the Court’s decision, offering his full support for their efforts.
On the same day as the ruling, the Department of Justice under Trump instructed federal prosecutors nationwide to intensify efforts in investigating and prosecuting birth tourism cases. They argued that such actions exploit the U.S. immigration system and often involve fraudulent visa applications.
Later that August, the State Department announced the formation of a task force dedicated to curbing birth tourism, which included plans to revoke visas for those who facilitate the process.
Mace’s bill not only proposes new criminal charges related to birth tourism but also seeks to jeopardize the citizenship status of individuals convicted of related fraud, potentially leading to denaturalization proceedings.
The legislation would establish the American Citizenship Integrity Interagency Task Force co-chaired by the Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security. This group would work to investigate and dismantle birth tourism operations in collaboration with international law enforcement agencies.
Furthermore, a specialized federal prosecutor in each judicial district would oversee cases concerning birth tourism and citizenship fraud.
Mace emphasized the importance of American citizenship, stating, “It’s not a travel souvenir or a commodity for sale. It’s one of the greatest privileges on Earth. Birth tourism abuses our immigration system and benefits those who exploit our laws, leaving many Americans to foot the bill. Our bill effectively closes that loophole.”
She further asserted, “America is not the world’s maternity ward. If you’re trying to manipulate our laws to gain citizenship, the time for that is over. This legislation sends a clear message to criminal networks involved in birth tourism and equips law enforcement to dismantle them.”
