The U.S. State Department has launched a dedicated task force to combat birth tourism, a practice involving individuals traveling to the United States to give birth to gain U.S. citizenship for their children. This initiative has already resulted in the revocation of over 750 visas associated with suspected birth tourism schemes.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott stated that the department is working with international partners and law enforcement agencies to identify and dismantle networks that facilitate this type of visa fraud. These networks often market services that help women enter the U.S. under false pretenses, such as misrepresenting their travel purpose on visitor visas.
"The first step in that is identifying them," Pigott told Fox News Digital. "We have consular officers around the world that work with international partners, that work for law enforcement officials to identify patterns that indicate a birth tourism network, and then when that is identified, we take actions such as revoking their visas, which was the recent announcement that we made, to make sure that we're dismantling those networks."
The Birth Tourism and Prevention Task Force, officially established on August 12, analyzes real-time travel trends of visa holders globally. Officials are scrutinizing patterns that suggest individuals are entering the U.S. primarily to give birth. One example cited involved a woman on a tourist visa whose partner made frequent visits, raising suspicions that he was present to support her during the later stages of pregnancy and the birth.
"That was an indication that this was actually a birth tourism effort here, and we were able to take action to revoke those visas," Pigott explained. "So we're able to analyze those travel patterns, analyze those instances that indicate fraud, look into those, and the task force we have allows us to take that action."
Pigott also highlighted instances where facilitators advertised "birth in the U.S." services, promising automatic citizenship while posing as healthcare providers. He noted that these schemes involve deception not only during the visa application process but also extend to coaching individuals on how to evade medical bill payments, leaving the financial burden on American taxpayers.
"These networks are set up in the United States and then further coach these individuals on how to not pay their medical bills," Pigott said. "So you have fraud when you enter the United states and then the American taxpayer is left footing the bill. It comes down to the fundamental principle we're gonna protect the sacred privilege of American citizenship and not allow this fraud to happen."
The State Department anticipates a significant increase in the number of revoked visas as the task force continues its operations. The crackdown is framed as part of a broader effort to enhance visa security and protect the integrity of the U.S. immigration system. The administration has criticized previous policies, suggesting they allowed for abuse and contributed to border challenges.
Birth tourism can lead to children obtaining U.S. citizenship, which can subsequently create pathways for family members to immigrate to the United States, such as a child petitioning for a parent after reaching the age of 21.
