Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced a new crackdown on what he described as “birth tourism” networks exploiting U.S. immigration rules to secure American citizenship for foreign-born children. The announcement Wednesday came just hours before President Donald Trump was due to personally greet Chinese President Xi Jinping at Joint Base Andrews, kicking off the Chinese leader’s three-day state visit. The timing puts a fresh spotlight on China, which has repeatedly featured in Trump administration discussions about birth tourism.
Trump has pointed to wealthy Chinese parents seeking to have children born in the United States, while Chinese nationals have also figured prominently in previous investigations and reporting about commercial birth-tourism operations. Rubio’s announcement, however, does not single out China. Instead, it establishes a new visa restriction policy under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act for people who knowingly engage in or facilitate commercial birth tourism.
The State Department specifically named owners, operators and managers of birth-tourism networks; visa “fixers” who coach applicants to commit fraud; foreign medical providers who knowingly facilitate such travel; and others who support or enable the practice. The administration says these networks advertise services to foreign nationals, coach applicants to lie on visa applications and charge tens of thousands of dollars to arrange U.S. births. The new policy is aimed at the people and businesses facilitating those arrangements, rather than creating a blanket visa prohibition for pregnant travelers.
Existing State Department guidance says birth tourism—traveling to the U.S. primarily to give birth so a child obtains U.S. citizenship—is not a permissible basis for issuance of a visitor visa. China’s connection to the issue has nonetheless been a recurring feature of the political debate. Reporting and outside research have documented Chinese participation in the commercial birth-tourism industry, while the extent of the practice nationwide remains difficult to quantify.
The announcement comes as Trump and Xi prepare to discuss a broader U.S.-China agenda during Xi’s first state visit to Washington in more than a decade, with trade, technology and other bilateral tensions high on the agenda. This is breaking news, updates to follow.
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