US revokes over 600 visas in crackdown on birth tourism

Washington: The United States has revoked more than 600 visas from foreign nationals as part of a new campaign against birth tourism, the State Department said on Wednesday.

The department said it had established a Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force to identify visa holders who travelled to the United States to give birth and individuals who facilitated such travel.

The task force reviews the activities and travel histories of visa holders worldwide. It also analyses information held by the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies.

Its work is aimed at identifying birth tourism, revoking visas and dismantling networks that profit from the practice.

“The Birth Tourism task force has taken action by revoking more than 600 visas from foreign nationals across the globe to safeguard our nation from this abuse,” the State Department said in a fact sheet.

The department generally revokes visas when it finds indications of potential ineligibility. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has broad discretionary authority to revoke visas, it said.

The move follows an executive order issued by President Donald Trump on August 6. The order defines birth tourism as the entry of a foreign national on a non-immigrant visa for the purpose of giving birth on American soil. It also covers efforts to facilitate such travel.

The order authorises the secretaries of state and homeland security to prevent entry, deny or revoke visas, remove travellers and permanently bar people found to have engaged in birth tourism. Humanitarian and national-interest exemptions may be granted.

The State Department said facilitators had turned the practice into a lucrative industry. Some market themselves as doulas, midwives or wellness advocates while advertising US birth services, visa coaching and hospital arrangements.

It said some operators forge medical documents or coach clients to hide their true purpose of travel and avoid paying hospital bills. Online advertisements promise “automatic citizenship” and “a future without borders,” according to the department.

Officials cited several cases uncovered by consular officers.

One couple used a conference and a shopping holiday as cover stories while travelling to give birth to two children in the United States. They lied about their purpose in two separate visa applications and concealed the existence of one child during the second application. Their visas were revoked.

In another case, a foreign government official sought a visa for a one-week official visit. She instead remained in the country for three months and gave birth before leaving. Her visa was revoked.

Another traveller said she planned to holiday in Orlando. She instead went to Los Angeles and gave birth five days after arriving. Her visa was also revoked.

The 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1868, provides that people born or naturalised in the United States and subject to its jurisdiction are US citizens. The provision has long formed the constitutional basis for birthright citizenship.

IANS