Federal immigration agencies go full throttle after ‘birth tourism’ industry

The Trump administration is ramping up enforcement against individuals who take part in “birth tourism,” which involves traveling to the United States for the sole purpose of having a baby on U.S. soil and automatically receiving U.S. citizenship for the child.

Federal law enforcement agencies, Customs and Border Protection, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are targeting individuals who exploit birth tourism and the companies that facilitate the trips, according to three senior administration officials.

The crackdown follows a ruling in the Supreme Court earlier this summer that barred the Trump administration from limiting birthright citizenship via executive order. That loss sent federal agencies into action.

A day after the ruling, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told Fox News that he had a “long conversation” with White House border czar Tom Homan and White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller about other ways to address foreigners who purposely travel to the U.S., enter legally or illegally, with the intent of having their baby here.

Two senior administration officials told the Washington Examiner on Monday that ICE, including its Homeland Security Investigations arm, would be focusing on the matter to a greater extent after being directed to do so by the White House.

Separately, the Department of Justice and FBI have been called in to focus on investigating and prosecuting cases, according to the same two officials.

CBP, the agency tasked with inspecting all people who seek to enter the U.S. at airports, seaports, and land ports, vowed in a statement to the Washington Examiner to use “every available enforcement authority” to maintain the integrity of the immigration system and hold accountable those who abuse the laws.

“CBP is also targeting the criminal networks and facilitators that profit from exploiting U.S. immigration laws, including those spreading misinformation through foreign billboard advertisements designed to encourage immigration fraud,” CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said in a statement Tuesday.

“U.S. Customs and Border Protection is identifying and pursuing anyone who seeks to circumvent U.S. law or exploit our immigration system for personal gain,” Scott said. “Individuals who misrepresent the purpose of their travel to the United States may be denied boarding before departure or refused admission upon arrival.”

Former Texas Republican Rep. Mayra Flores posted a picture in April that showed a billboard in the Mexican city of Reynosa, in which a Texas hospital advertised to international patients about traveling to the U.S. to have a baby at significantly lower cost than the cost for Americans with health insurance.

Americans are getting blatantly ripped off, and it’s happening right in front of our faces.

In the United States, the average cost to give birth is over $20,000. Even if you have insurance, you’re still slammed with thousands in bills. Families are going into debt just to bring… pic.twitter.com/kSRWgF3erR

, Mayra Flores (@MayraFlores4TX) April 18, 2026

Trump reacted to the billboard last week in a post to Truth Social.

“Likewise, similar signs going up all over our Country. Billions of Dollars will be illegally made by this SCAM, with Citizenship going to anyone willing to pay. It will be, by far, the number one way of becoming a citizen, and then the entire family will be allowed to follow. Not sustainable,” Trump posted. “NOBODY SAW THIS COMING!!! AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP IS NOT FOR SALE! In fact, that is a crime.”

Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) announced on Tuesday that the state’s Health and Human Services Commission launched an investigation into birth tourism packages marketed by Mission Regional Medical Center in Mission, Texas.

The state agency has now submitted a referral to the state’s attorney general’s office that alleges the Mission hospital and another facility teamed up to advertise the scheme on HavemybabyinTEXAS.com. The website was taken offline last week.

“Regardless of what the Supreme Court of the United States may have said, U.S. citizenship is not for sale in Texas,” Abbott said in a statement. “Texas will not tolerate the exploitation of our health care system as a pathway to skirt federal immigration laws.”

The issue of birth tourism has been a concern of Trump’s since his first term. The U.S. is one of 30 countries out of 194 that recognize a baby born within its borders as a citizen even if his or her parents are noncitizens, including those born to a parent who is on a temporary visa or illegally in the country.

The Trump Justice Department indicted 19 people in 2019 for their roles in an international “birth tourism” ring that brought “thousands” of pregnant women mainly from China to Southern California so they could give birth in America and have a child with U.S. citizenship.

Foreign women paid between $15,000 and $50,000 each to live in the U.S. before and after the baby, who could obtain automatic U.S. citizenship, was born. The scammers also coached women on how to pass visa interviews and overstay their visas in the U.S. and cash in on federal benefits. The indictments state the Chinese customers were told what to say during U.S. Consulate interviews in China, including that they only planned to visit for two weeks.

FOREIGN TRUCK DRIVERS IN THE U.S. REMAIN A TOP TARGET OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

The women were also told to wear loose-fitting clothing when they traveled to the U.S. so their pregnancy would not be obvious to U.S. customs officers at the airport. The indictments stated women were told to first fly to Hawaii and then to Los Angeles because the customs officers in Hawaii were easier to get by.

In return, those arranging the trips made millions of dollars. Legal documents also state those involved in overseeing the ploy also laundered money and defrauded property owners who rented the houses and apartments to them.