The United States Department of State announced the start of an offensive against so-called “birth tourism,” a practice through which foreign citizens travel to the country on tourist visas with the primary purpose of giving birth so that their children obtain U.S. citizenship by birth.
The authorities reported that they have already begun to revoke visas of individuals identified as participating in these schemes and have reinforced investigations against international networks that allegedly facilitate this type of travel.
According to the State Department, a U.S. diplomatic mission in West Africa detected a network consisting of more than 100 foreign nationals who had used fraudulent documents and specialized facilitators to obtain travel permits. As a result, the visas of those involved were revoked.
Likewise, a U.S. embassy in Europe identified more than 400 suspicious cases since 2024. Investigations point to at least six companies that allegedly advised applicants on how to respond in consular interviews, coordinated lodging on U.S. territory, and organized details related to the births.
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In another case, an embassy in North Africa revoked more than 100 visas for parents identified as participating in birth tourism practices. Authorities indicated that these findings were possible thanks to the exchange of information between security agencies, data analysis, and consular intelligence work.
Greater control over tourist visas
The Department of State reminded that B-1 and B-2 visitor visas cannot be used when the primary purpose of the trip is to give birth in the United States to obtain immigration benefits derived from the child’s citizenship.
Furthermore, he reiterated that consular officials have the authority to deny or revoke visas when they detect fraud, concealment of information, or misuse of immigration processes.
“A U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right,” the entity pointed out, warning that it will continue to identify and dismantle networks dedicated to these practices.
Dominican women among the groups with the most births in the U.S.
Although U.S. authorities did not mention the Dominican Republic among the countries linked to recent investigations, official statistics show that Dominican women are among the Latin American groups with the highest number of births registered on U.S. soil.
Between 2016 and 2023, hospitals in the United States attended 33,575 births to women of Dominican origin, which places Dominicans as the fourth group of Latin American foreigners with the most births in the country during that period.
The measure is part of a policy of greater immigration surveillance and stricter scrutiny of tourist visa applications that could be related to birth tourism schemes. So far, the authorities have not revealed the names of the countries involved or the identities of the people affected by the revocations.
