State Dept. Identifies Several ‘Birth Tourism’ Networks Around World
The State Department has identified multiple birth tourism networks operating overseas, according to a Wednesday report, as the Trump administration continues its broader push to protect the integrity of U.S. citizenship and crack down on immigration fraud.
The discoveries came after the State Department instructed U.S. diplomatic personnel to apply closer scrutiny to potentially fraudulent documentation submitted by visa applicants.
That directive reportedly led U.S. embassies in West Africa, Europe, and North Africa to uncover evidence of several schemes allegedly designed to produce false records and help foreign nationals enter the United States for the purpose of giving birth on American soil.
The Daily Wire was the first outlet to report on the networks.
In West Africa, one U.S. embassy uncovered what was described as a “sophisticated birth tourism network” involving more than 100 foreign nationals who allegedly used fraudulent documents to obtain visas and pursue U.S. citizenship for their children.
According to the outlet, the State Department shut down the network and revoked the visas of the foreign nationals involved.
The department is also working with local authorities to “systematically identify and cut off any similar operations.”
“Under President Trump, the State Department is defending the integrity of U.S. citizenship by ending illegal birth tourism schemes,” said State Department messaging seen by The Daily Wire.
“No foreigner is permitted to obtain a visitor visa for the primary purpose of acquiring U.S. citizenship for a child by giving birth in the U.S.,” the message said, per the outlet.
The reported crackdown was not limited to West Africa.
A U.S. embassy in Europe identified more than 400 suspected birth tourism cases dating back to 2024, according to the report.
Investigators allegedly tied the activity to at least six companies accused of coaching visa applicants on how to answer interview questions, arranging housing, and coordinating childbirth plans in the United States, The Daily Wire reported.
State Department officials reportedly disrupted that operation, revoked the visas connected to the scheme, and imposed permanent travel bans on several individuals accused of taking part, preventing them from entering the United States in the future.
In North Africa, another U.S. embassy revoked more than 100 visas issued to individuals accused of traveling to the United States primarily so their children would receive automatic American citizenship at birth.
According to the report, State Department consular officers worked with law enforcement agencies and used data-analysis tools to identify networks allegedly exploiting the visa system and facilitating birth tourism.
“A U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right,” the State Department messaging said.
“The State Department is taking action around the world to stop this abuse, dismantle birth tourism networks, and hold accountable those who try to scam our system,” it added, per the outlet.
The new revelations follow earlier reporting from The Daily Wire on birth tourism operations in Texas.
In that case, the state sued De’Ai Postpartum Care Center in Houston for “exploiting birthright citizenship by unlawfully facilitating the invasion of Chinese nationals … for the sole purpose of giving birth.”
The center has been accused of facilitating the births of more than 1,000 babies who became American citizens immediately under the current interpretation of birthright citizenship.
President Donald J. Trump moved quickly after taking office in January 2025, signing an executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship.
The order, however, has faced multiple legal challenges and has been repeatedly paused by the courts. The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling on the order in late June or early July.
“We are the only Country in the World STUPID enough to allow ‘Birthright’ Citizenship!” Trump noted on social media the day the high court heard oral arguments in the case.
Courtroom observers said most justices appeared skeptical of the order, with several seemingly viewing the Fourteenth Amendment’s language as plain and settled.
Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to attend a Supreme Court hearing.
Justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson drew attention during arguments with a response that many critics described as confusing and disconnected from the administration’s central argument.
“I was thinking, I, a U.S. citizen, am visiting Japan. And what it means is that if I steal someone’s wallet in Japan, the Japanese authorities can arrest me and prosecute me,” Jackson said.
For conservatives, the latest State Department findings underscore a basic reality: citizenship is one of America’s most valuable legal statuses, and it should not be manipulated through organized fraud, coaching schemes, or commercialized birth tourism networks.
The Trump administration’s position is clear. U.S. visas are not entitlements, American citizenship should not be treated as a global loophole, and foreign nationals who abuse the system should face consequences.