The department said it had established a Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force to identify visa holders who travelled to the US specifically to give birth, as well as individuals and networks facilitating such travel.
The task force is reviewing visa holders’ activities and travel histories worldwide and analysing information held by the State Department, Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies.
“The Birth Tourism task force has taken action by revoking more than 600 visas from foreign nationals across the globe to safeguard our nation from this abuse,” the State Department said in a fact sheet.
The department said visas are generally revoked when authorities identify indications of potential ineligibility, adding that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has broad discretionary authority to revoke visas.
The crackdown follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on August 6. The order defines birth tourism as entering the US on a non-immigrant visa for the purpose of giving birth on American soil, and also covers efforts to facilitate such travel.
Under the order, the secretaries of state and homeland security are authorised to prevent entry, deny or revoke visas, remove travellers and permanently bar individuals found to have engaged in birth tourism. Exemptions may be granted on humanitarian or national-interest grounds.
The State Department said facilitators had turned birth tourism into a lucrative business, with some operators advertising services such as visa coaching, birth assistance and hospital arrangements while presenting themselves as doulas, midwives or wellness advocates.
The department alleged that some operators forge medical documents or coach clients to conceal their actual travel intentions and avoid hospital bills. It also cited online advertisements promising “automatic citizenship” and “a future without borders”.
Officials highlighted several cases identified by US consular officers. In one case, a couple allegedly used a conference and shopping holiday as cover for travelling to the US to give birth to two children. Their visas were revoked after authorities found they had misrepresented their purpose in two visa applications.
In another case, a foreign government official who obtained a visa for a one-week official visit allegedly remained in the US for three months and gave birth before leaving. Her visa was subsequently revoked.
A third traveller reportedly said she intended to holiday in Orlando but instead travelled to Los Angeles, where she gave birth five days after arriving. Her visa was also revoked.
The US Constitution’s 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, provides citizenship to people born or naturalised in the United States and subject to its jurisdiction. The provision has long been the constitutional basis for birthright citizenship in the country.
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