Stephen Miller, a key architect of former President Donald Trump's immigration policies, has suggested that the United States should "take a hard look" at banning pregnant foreign nationals from entering the country, citing concerns about "birth tourism."
In remarks made to Fox News host Jesse Watters, Miller criticized the Supreme Court's stance on birthright citizenship. He argued that the current system allows individuals to enter the U.S. temporarily, give birth, and thus secure citizenship for their child, which he believes leads to a "lifetime American citizen" and access to welfare benefits.
"If you have birthright citizenship, it means if a person comes here nine months pregnant to go look around at some things, in a couple of weeks, that is the mother of a lifetime American citizen and a direct line into American cash and welfare for the rest of that child’s life," Miller stated. He further contended that such children could send welfare checks to support families in their home countries.
When asked by Watters if this meant banning pregnant women from America, Miller responded, "You have to think very carefully about who you let into your country. There’s a lot of things we have to take a hard look at."
Miller's comments echo sentiments expressed by some members of Congress. Representative Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) recently introduced the "Anchors Away Act," a legislative proposal aimed at restricting or prohibiting entry for certain pregnant foreign nationals. Ogles stated that under his bill, a pregnant woman without U.S. citizenship or a green card would not be permitted to enter the country.
The Center for Immigration Studies, an organization advocating for lower immigration levels, estimated in 2020 that between 20,000 and 26,000 "birth tourism" cases occurred annually. This figure represented less than 1% of the approximately 3.61 million births in the U.S. that year.