Ban Birth Tourism Act introduced in U.S. Congress

The Ban Birth Tourism Act has been introduced in the House of Representatives, with companion legislation led by Senator Marsha Blackburn in the Senate. The bill aims to close what proponents describe as a loophole that allows foreign nationals to secure American citizenship for their unborn children by traveling to the United States specifically to give birth.

According to the legislation, predatory businesses facilitate this process by arranging travel, housing, and hospital care, and sometimes coaching clients on how to mislead immigration officers regarding the true purpose of their visit. The bill seeks to make foreign nationals inadmissible if their primary intent is to give birth in the U.S. and would make birth tourism a deportable offense under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The proposed law is designed to target organized fraud while preserving protections for legitimate travelers seeking medical care and ensuring that lawful immigrants are not affected.