Birth Tourism: An Increasing Trend in the U.S.

Over the past decade, an estimated 300,000 children were born in the United States to foreign tourists, according to Steven Camarota, the Director of Research at the Center for Immigration Studies. He shared this information during a recent hearing of the House Oversight Committee, chaired by Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX).

During the meeting, Camarota discussed the phenomenon of birth tourism, where individuals on temporary visas travel to the U.S. primarily to give birth, thereby granting their children American citizenship by birthright.

“Our best estimates suggest that each year, between 20,000 to 26,000 births result from this practice, although this data is primarily from 2016 and 2017,” Camarota explained to the committee. “While this might seem like a small number compared to overall births in the U.S., the cumulative effect is significant. If previous trends hold, approximately 200,000 to 300,000 children have been born to birth tourists in the past decade. That’s not an insignificant figure.”

Camarota also highlighted that recent surveys indicate only 25 percent of Americans support the automatic granting of citizenship to the U.S.-born children of foreign tourists.

“Many Americans perceive birth tourism as an issue because it seems to trivialize American citizenship, which is, undoubtedly, one of the most precious statuses one can have. It’s concerning when that status can be acquired under questionable circumstances,” he noted.

He pointed out that the concerns around birth tourism extend beyond the children of undocumented immigrants who gain citizenship through birth. “While there are significant challenges associated with granting citizenship to children of illegal aliens, at least those children generally grow up in the U.S.,” Camarota stated. “In contrast, that isn’t usually the case for children born to tourists. Yet, once they are American citizens, they can enter the U.S. without prior screening, pursue higher education with financial support, take up jobs in various sectors—including federal positions—and immediately access public benefits.”