The United States has announced new visa restrictions targeting individuals who knowingly engage in or facilitate “birth tourism” to the country.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the policy on Wednesday, saying it would apply to owners, operators and managers of commercial birth tourism networks, visa “fixers” who coach applicants to commit fraud, and foreign medical providers who knowingly facilitate such travel.
Rubio said the policy was being implemented under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the US Immigration and Nationality Act.
According to him, commercial birth tourism networks had exploited the US immigration system by profiting from arrangements designed to enable foreign nationals to give birth in the country for the purpose of obtaining US citizenship for their children.
“Foreign commercial birth tourism networks have exploited the U.S. immigration system to sell U.S. citizenship for profit,” Rubio said in a statement.
He said the networks advertise their services, coach applicants to provide false information on visa applications and charge tens of thousands of dollars to arrange births in the US.
Rubio said the new restrictions would target “individuals who knowingly engage in, have engaged in, or facilitate birth tourism to the United States.”
Those covered by the policy, he said, include owners, operators and managers of commercial birth tourism networks, visa “fixers” who coach applicants to commit fraud, and foreign medical providers who knowingly facilitate such travel and the fraudulent use of the US Medicaid system.
Other individuals who support, assist or enable commercial birth tourism may also be affected, he added.
Rubio said the Trump administration was using the policy to protect the integrity of the US immigration system, safeguard public benefits and protect American taxpayers from exploitation.
“The Trump Administration is using every tool at our disposal to defend the integrity of U.S. citizenship, protect American public benefits and U.S. taxpayers from exploitation, and safeguard our national security.”
He added that restricting visas for individuals who participate in and profit from the alleged fraud would send a clear message that the US would not allow its immigration system to be exploited.
The State Department also said certain family members of individuals covered by the policy could be subject to the restrictions.
Birth tourism refers to the practice of foreigners travelling to the US primarily to give birth, with the aim of securing US citizenship for their children. The State Department already states that birth tourism is not a permissible purpose for obtaining a visitor visa.
The latest announcement builds on other measures taken by the Trump administration against birth tourism. In August, the White House highlighted remarks by Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Adviser Stephen Miller that birth tourism had been banned and that people could no longer obtain visas for that purpose.
The administration has also introduced broader changes to US immigration and visa-screening policies.
However, Rubio’s latest announcement does not state that all foreign nationals seeking to give birth in the US will be subject to the new restrictions. Instead, the policy specifically targets individuals who knowingly participate in, facilitate or profit from commercial birth tourism.
