Edited by: TJVNews.com
It appears that President Trump is re-visiting the thorny issue of “birth tourism” as his administration is crafting new regulations for visas from foreign countries. The imposition of new visa rules are aimed at restricting pregnant women from foreign countries who wish to come to the United States with the express purpose of giving birth on American shores so that their offspring will be granted immediate US citizenship, according to an AP report.
According to the AP report, pregnant women who seek to apply for US visitor visas may need to provide specific reasons for travel other than giving birth on US soil.
The 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution essentially says you become a U.S. citizen if you are born on American soil, but administration officials say such a change can be made by Executive Order and wouldn’t require a constitutional amendment.
Under the new rule, consular officials will have the authority to deny a visitor visa if they have reason to believe the applicant intends to travel to the U.S. for the “primary purpose” of giving birth, according to an NPR report.
Moreover, if a consular officer has reason to believe a visa applicant will give birth during her stay in the U.S., the rule states that the officer should conclude that the main reason for the trip is to secure U.S. citizenship for the child, the report stated.
NPR reported that the change to U.S. visa policy has taken effect on Friday, January 24th, when it was published in the Federal Register.
In 2018, a total of about 3.8 million births were registered in the U.S., according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
The Trump administration claims that restrictions on foreigners who come to the US in order to guarantee that their children will become US citizens must be implemented to protect US national security and public health, according to the AP report.
In a statement released by the State Department on this matter, the concern about possible criminal activity was addressed. “The final rule addresses concerns about the attendant risks of this activity to national security and law enforcement, including criminal activity associated with the birth tourism industry, as reflected in federal prosecutions of individuals and entities involved in that industry,” the Department of State said.
“The birth tourism industry is also rife with criminal activity, including international criminal schemes,” the policy adds.
NPR reported that the State Department did not specifically say how many babies are born in the U.S. due to birth tourism, saying that it’s a challenge to derive a precise number. But the department estimates that “thousands of children” are born in the U.S. each year to people who are either visiting or conducting business on nonimmigrant visas.
Trump has consistently criticized the law which grants nearly all children born in the US automatic citizenship, as he seeks to limit immigration, according to the AP report.
