Texas Governor Greg Abbott Acts on Birth Tourism Investigation

Governor Greg Abbott announced that the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) has referred an alleged birth‑tourism scheme involving two South Texas hospitals to Attorney General Ken Paxton after a probe ordered by the governor. The scheme was advertised through the website “havemybabyintexas.com,” which promoted birth packages for foreign nationals so their children could obtain U.S. citizenship.

Abbott said the referral reflects decisive action and warned that “U.S. citizenship is not for sale in Texas.” He urged Texans to report similar schemes to HHSC’s Office of the Inspector General and reminded the public that the matter may involve violations of both state and federal law. A Migration Policy Institute report noted that less than 1 % of U.S. births are linked to birth‑tourism, underscoring the outsized attention the issue has received.