U.S. labels 'Birth Tourism' a National Security Threat

The Trump administration on Thursday announced a policy designed to put an end to that kind of “birth tourism.”

Under rules taking effect Friday, State Department consular officials will now be able to refuse to grant short-term tourism or business visas to women they believe are attempting to travel solely for the purpose of having their womb on U.S. soil at the time they deliver.

The department called birth tourism “a threat to the security of the United States,” and the White House said the very integrity of U.S. citizenship is at stake if people are able to trick their way into obtaining legal status and its benefits for their newborns.

“The birth tourism industry threatens to overburden valuable hospital resources and is rife with criminal activity,” said presidential press secretary Stephanie Grisham. “Closing this glaring immigration loophole will combat these endemic abuses and ultimately protect the United States from the national security risks created by this practice.”