() — Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the Trump administration will restrict visas for individuals who “engage in or facilitate” birth tourism, a practice that exploits the United States’ 14th Amendment granting automatic citizenship to any child born within the U.S.
“Foreign commercial birth tourism networks have exploited the U.S. immigration system to sell U.S. citizenship for profit. These networks advertise and coach foreign nationals to lie on U.S. visa applications and collect tens of thousands of dollars to arrange births on American soil for the sole purpose of obtaining U.S. citizenship,” Rubio explained in a press release.
The new policy targets foreigners “who knowingly engage in, have engaged in, or facilitate birth tourism to the United States, including owners, operators, and managers of commercial birth tourism facilitation networks, visa ‘fixers’ who coach applicants to commit fraud, foreign medical providers who knowingly abet and facilitate such travel and the fraudulent use of our Medicaid system, and other individuals who support, abet, and enable commercial birth tourism.”
The Trump administration has sought to use every tool at its disposal to defend the integrity of U.S. citizenship, protect American public benefits and U.S. taxpayers from exploitation, and safeguard national security according to the Secretary of State.
“By restricting visa issuance of those who both engage in and profit from this fraud, we are sending a clear message: The United States will not allow foreigners to exploit our immigration system and violate the sanctity of U.S. citizenship,” he declared.
Katy Faust, founder of the global children’s rights organization, Them Before Us, welcomed the news.
“Looks like children harmed through the booming business of cross-border Big Fertility finally have a champion in the White House,” Faust said on X.
Looks like children harmed through the booming business of cross-border #BigFertility finally have a champion in the White House. https://t.co/Btv2S0W4FB
— Katy Faust (@Katy_Faust) September 25, 2026
