U.S. Dismantles Birth-Tourism Network in West Africa, Revokes More Than 100 Visas

The U.S. State Department said on Wednesday it had dismantled an alleged and sophisticated birth-tourism network in West Africa involving more than 100 foreign nationals who allegedly used fraudulent documents and "fixers" to obtain entry permits to the United States so their children would acquire U.S. citizenship by birth.

“P: How real is birth tourism”

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The department said an "embassy of the United States in North Africa revoked more than 100 birth-tourism visas for parents who came to the United States mainly to give birth so that their children would obtain U.S. citizenship," and it said the investigations allowed detecting a possible expansion of these practices to other regions.

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In Europe, the department said that since 2024 more than 400 suspected cases related to birth tourism have been identified, and it said investigators traced these cases to at least six companies that allegedly advised applicants on how to respond during consular interviews.

In North Africa, the department said more than 100 birth-tourism visas were revoked, and it said consular officers used data analysis and law enforcement coordination to detect patterns of misuse.

The State Department reiterated that a U.S. visa is "a privilege and not a right" and said it would continue to strengthen actions to combat this type of immigration fraud.

FactCheck.org said the government does not provide estimates on the magnitude of so-called birth tourism, and it noted that an external group has estimated it could involve more than 20,000 births per year.

It also said that attorney general D. John Sauer cited birth tourism in his arguments before the Supreme Court on April 1 as a reason to end birthright citizenship, and it quoted Sauer’s response when Chief Justice John Roberts asked him if he had any information about the frequency or significance of the problem: "No one knows for sure."

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FactCheck.org said the Trump administration is challenging the long-standing interpretation that the United States Constitution grants citizenship to children born in the country even if their parents are in the country irregularly.

It further reported that on April 4, border chief Tom Homan told Fox News: "Birth tourism has been a problem for the three decades I have been enforcing immigration law" and said it involved Russian and Chinese citizens who come to the United States solely to give birth.

FactCheck.org added that in 2020 the Center for Immigration Studies estimated potential birth tourism cases ranged between 20,000 and 26,000 per year, and it said that year there were 3.61 million births in the United States.

The Times of India said the State Department warned that entry documents will be denied or revoked if childbirth is found to be the primary purpose of travel, and it said the department is tightening controls to protect the integrity of U.S. citizenship and dismantle networks linked to the practice.

“Birth tourism returned to the U”

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It also said the crackdown aligns with the immigration push under the Trump administration, which has increased scrutiny of visa applicants across multiple categories, including work visas such as the H1-B programme.

FactCheck.org described how Sauer argued before the Supreme Court that birthright citizenship has generated an extensive birth tourism industry, in which thousands of foreign nationals from potentially hostile nations have flocked to give birth in the United States in recent decades.

In parallel, Perfil said analyst Lucas Luchillo argued that birth tourism is "of little importance and high visibility," and he detailed that "Roughly 10,000 births are from women who do not live in the United States" and that it amounts to only about 0.2% of the total annual births.

Perfil also said Luchillo warned that the real impact of potential legal changes would fall on low-income immigrant families, and it quoted him saying, "They tend to be poor immigrants, Latinos or Africans or Asians," while noting that the Supreme Court could rule against Trump's intentions to limit birthright citizenship.