Texas Rep. Brian Harrison proposes felony ban on birth tourism after Supreme Court decision

The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the doctrine of birthright citizenship, stating the 14th Amendment grants citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil regardless of parental status. In response, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton released photographs showing homes in Texas that allegedly house rows of bassinets used for “birth tourism,” a practice in which foreign nationals give birth in the United States to secure citizenship for their children. The images suggested involvement of Chinese nationals who return to China after the births.

State Representative Brian Harrison announced a push for a special session of the Texas Legislature to make birth tourism a felony. His proposed measures include criminalizing the operation or participation in birth‑tourism schemes, expanding the illegal‑entry offense to cover entry for the purpose of birth tourism, prohibiting the issuance of birth certificates to children of non‑citizens, granting the attorney general authority to investigate and prosecute such cases, and adopting resolutions condemning the Supreme Court ruling and urging Congress to act. A Texas hospital is also under investigation for advertising maternity packages to foreign nationals near the U.S.–Mexico border.