Protecting the Integrity of U.S. Citizenship
- NPG
- February 5, 2025
- NPG Commentary
- 0 Comments
Addressing the Growing Challenge of Birth Tourism
Birth tourism is a niche yet troubling industry that profits by helping women travel to the United States for the sole purpose of giving birth. This practice exploits the 14th Amendment, originally intended to safeguard the rights of former slaves, and creates potential loopholes in our immigration system.
Here’s why this issue deserves your attention:
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- Exploitation of the 14th Amendment: Birth tourism misuses a critical constitutional provision, creating questionable pathways to citizenship.
- National Security Risks: It obscures true intentions behind entries into the country, raising concerns about illegal immigration and chain migration.
- Strain on Resources: U.S. taxpayers often shoulder the costs of unpaid medical bills, and birthright citizens may later claim public benefits.
- Encouragement of Fraud and Illegal Businesses: Underground agencies have built a thriving industry coaching foreign nationals in visa fraud.
- Diplomatic and Immigration Complications: U.S. complacency risks making the country a hotspot for birth tourism while allies tighten their immigration policies.
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Recent investigations and high-profile cases, such as the sentencing of Phoebe Dong and Michael Liu of USA Happy Baby, reveal the extent of this issue. Yet, impactful measures to close these loopholes and protect U.S. citizenship remain limited. Efforts like stricter definitions in President Trump’s Executive Order and cross-agency cooperation have made progress but leave room for further action to establish effective long-term solutions.
The practice of birth tourism challenges the integrity of U.S. immigration and citizenship policies. The Hill recently noted: “The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) reported in 2020 that the list of countries has expanded to China, Taiwan, Korea, Nigeria, Turkey, Russia, and Brazil. It adds that birth tourism has grown dramatically in some of the U.S. territories, where Chinese citizens can easily obtain visas to visit.” This trend highlights the increasing sophistication of networks facilitating these activities. Furthermore, in 2020, CIS estimated “’that birth tourism results in 33,000 births to women on tourist visas annually.’ While that’s a small percentage of the estimated 4.4 million child-citizens born to illegal immigrants, according to the Pew Research Center, it’s still a significant number.” These figures underscore the urgent need for more stringent enforcement mechanisms and regulatory reforms to address this exploitative practice effectively.
At NPG, we firmly believe safeguarding U.S. citizenship is vital. Addressing issues like birth tourism is a necessary step in protecting the integrity of our immigration system and ensuring fairness for all Americans.
We encourage you to stay informed and support policies that address these critical challenges. Together, we can continue working toward sustainable solutions to slow, halt, and eventually reverse population growth.
Through your continued support and donations to NPG, we can advocate for these necessary changes.
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