Trump’s Executive Order Aims to Restrict Birth Tourism

President Trump has taken steps to limit the practice of “birth tourism” through an executive order. This has often been confused with “birthright citizenship.” These ideas, though often mentioned together by Trump, are distinct. Birthright citizenship, rooted in the Fourteenth Amendment, ensures that nearly all individuals born on U.S. soil gain citizenship, regardless of their parents’ legal status. The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld this interpretation. Birth tourism differs as it involves foreign women, often wealthy, seeking U.S. soil birth to gain citizenship for their newborns.

Women engaging in birth tourism return to their home countries after giving birth in the U.S. There’s an entire network profiting by enabling this system abuse. Trump’s executive order addresses this by exposing Birth tourism as system misuse. Advertisers lure foreign nationals to give birth in the U.S., and this is not new. In 2009, a health care newsletter identified facilities in Arizona promoting birth packages for prospective mothers to secure U.S. citizenship for their children. These packages included different birth types at varying costs.

The executive order displays birth tourism as a system misuse.

This practice often backfires on the expecting mothers due to false promises from service operators. According to Georgetown Law’s O’Neil Institute in 2018, women primarily from China and Russia have spent tens of thousands of dollars for this. During the Obama years, prices ranged from $30,000 to $100,000 for birth-tourism packages. Documentary filmmaker Leslie Tai created a film titled “How to Have an American Baby,” depicting the phenomenon. It attracted not only Chinese and Mexicans but also women from Taiwan, Korea, Nigeria, and more.

In 2020, the Center for Immigration Studies estimated 33,000 annual births to women on temporary visas. That figure rose to 70,000 by 2023. Critics argue the impact is minor, yet the exploitation of packages fosters corruption and affects many. Interestingly, progressives appear less concerned, despite frequent criticism of the wealthy exploiting laws. Among birth tourists, there is evident truth that wealth can influence immigration.

Addressing birth tourism helps lay groundwork toward comprehensive immigration reform. In 2024, dissatisfaction with President Biden’s immigration policy influenced voters against Democrats. While immigration system abuse persists through birth tourism, critics of reform, mainly Republicans, assert border fixes should precede immigration debates. Trump claims progress in border enforcement with a reported decline of 86 percent in illegal crossings. Success in halting birth tourism might open doors to discussions about legal immigration pathways for foreign workers.

Merrill Matthews serves as Texas state chair for Our Republican Legacy.