Senator Marsha Blackburn of R-Tenn introduced new legislation Tuesday to remove the multi-million-dollar birth tourism industry, which allows foreign nationals to use the U.S. immigration system to ensure automatic citizenship for their children.
The U.S. Senate's Prohibition of Birth Travel Act will amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to declare that it is not acceptable for any foreign country to seek a tourist visa to give birth in the United States.
These births automatically trigger the child’s U.S. nationality, a long-term critique loophole that opens the door to future family-sponsored migrations.
Senate Republicans propose bills to reform birthright citizenship under Trump's controversial order
Senator Marsha Blackburn of R-Tenn introduced new legislation Tuesday to remove the multi-million-dollar birth tourism industry, which allows foreign nationals to use the U.S. immigration system to ensure automatic citizenship for their children. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Blackburn's bill was read twice and submitted to the Commission, which included provisions to protect legal medical travelers. If the main reason for entry is medical care rather than citizenship, these cases will not be blocked.
"Foreign nationals have long been using the system to exploit our country's immigration laws simply to give birth and obtain citizenship for their children," Blackburn said in a press release.
"The ban on birth travel law will prevent foreign nationals, including those of rivals such as Communist China and Russia, from buying U.S. citizenship for their children. We need to send this bill to his table when President Trump works to end his reproductive right citizenship."
With the focus of the Trump administration restoring immigration integrity during the second term of the president, the driving force follows. During his first term, President Trump repeatedly vowed to terminate automatic citizenship for children of illegal immigrants and tourists.
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With the focus of the Trump administration restoring immigration integrity during the second term of the president, the driving force follows. During his first term, President Trump repeatedly vowed to terminate automatic citizenship for children of illegal immigrants and tourists. (Joseph Prezios/AFP via Getty Images)
In 2020, the State Department, under his administration, began denied visas for suspected birth tourists, a move praised by immigration law enforcement advocates.
Birth travel is far from a marginal phenomenon. According to conservative immigration policy analysts, the industry gives birth to at least 33,000 women with temporary visas each year. These children can legally sponsor their parents’ green cards at the age of 21 and provide backdoors to the U.S. immigration system.
A 2015 Immigration Research Center report estimated that this practice brought millions of dollars to companies that brought to pregnant foreigners in the United States from Russia and China, which typically charge tens of thousands of dollars for packages including visa coaches, hospitalizations and luxury accommodation.
President Trump terminated his reproductive citizenship during the second administration. (Katie Muir Stankiewicz/Exchange Club in Mooresville and Norman Lake)
In one of the largest federal crackdowns to date, the former Trump administration Department of Justice accused nearly 20 people in Southern California in 2019 to operate a wide range of birth travel networks targeting Chinese nationals.
Prosecutors accuse businesses of directing clients to lie to immigration officials for the purpose of travel, a common strategy in such actions.
Blackburn's bill would make it unacceptable for any traveler seeking to exploit the loophole to ensure that birthright citizenship cannot be used as a ticket to the game.
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Senator Marsha Blackburn's office recommends Fox News Digital to a press release Tuesday.