U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas argued that the practice of birth tourism exploits U.S. immigration laws and warrants stronger enforcement during a congressional task force hearing on Tuesday.
Gill, chair of the House Oversight Committee’s Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuses, described birth tourism as a for-profit industry that uses visa fraud, maternity housing, and, in some cases, unpaid medical bills to secure U.S. citizenship for children born in the country. He said the practice has been reported in areas including Miami, El Paso, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
“American citizenship is the glue which binds our republic together,” Gill said. “But the concept of birthright citizenship is being exploited by foreign nationals, including those from adversarial nations like the People’s Republic of China and Russia.
Steven Camarota, research director for the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), testified to the scale of birth tourism and its potential effects on the value of American citizenship.
Birth tourism is the practice of traveling to the United States temporarily for the purpose of giving birth and obtaining citizenship for one’s children, then raising the child abroad.
Camarota estimated that between 20,000 and 26,000 children were born to birth tourists annually, based on data from 2016 and 2017.
He argued that birth tourism “cheapens” American citizenship by “undermining basic democratic principle.”
According to Camarota, the immigration laws enacted by the American people’s elected representatives establish the criteria for those who may eventually become citizens, while birth tourism bypasses that process by granting citizenship to children whose parents have no intention of permanently residing in the United States.
The effect of birth tourism is cumulative, he noted, as children who obtain citizenship can later sponsor their parents for lawful permanent residency.
When Republican lawmakers questioned whether birth tourism potentially leaves taxpayers responsible for unpaid medical expenses, Camarota said medical costs can fall on taxpayers or hospitals, but acknowledged he did not have systematic evidence showing the full scope of those costs.
Camarota recommended that consular officers and border officials be permitted to more directly question visa applicants and travelers about whether they intend to give birth in the United States. He also urged prosecutions of people who operate birth-tourism businesses or allegedly commit visa fraud.
The hearing also included testimony from Dr. Vladimir Lawrence, founder of Miami Medical Concierge Services, formerly known as “Have My Baby in Miami.” Lawrence appeared under subpoena but invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination when asked whether his business had marketed or facilitated travel to the United States for foreign nationals seeking to give birth.
The hearing came just months after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to restrict birthright citizenship in order to end the practice of birth tourism.
The ruling has drawn attention from lawmakers at both the state and federal levels.
In July, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered several state agencies to investigate allegations of unlawful birth tourism involving healthcare providers across Texas.
At the federal level, U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill also introduced the Citizenship Act of 2026, which would exclude children, born to certain foreign nationals entering the country for birth tourism, from birthright citizenship.
The proposals come as lawmakers and state officials continue to debate how birth tourism should be addressed under existing birthright citizenship laws.
