Trump DOJ Vows Birth Tourism Crackdown After Supreme Court Upholds Birthright Citizenship

The Trump Administration pledged Tuesday to aggressively prosecute foreign birth tourism operations after the Supreme Court reaffirmed that the Constitution guarantees birthright citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment.

Hours after the court’s decision, the Department of Justice announced it would prioritize investigations and prosecutions targeting birth tourism schemes, arguing they exploit U.S. immigration laws and pose potential national security concerns.

“Birth tourism schemes exploit our immigration laws and often violate our criminal laws,” the DOJ said in a statement. “Actors seeking to exploit loopholes to obtain automatic citizenship for their children pose a national security threat and will be brought to justice.”

Birth tourism schemes exploit our immigration laws and often violate our criminal laws. The Department of Justice will prioritize the prosecutions of birth tourism schemes across the country. Actors seeking to exploit loopholes to obtain automatic citizenship for their children…

— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) June 30, 2026

Birth tourism generally involves foreign nationals traveling to the United States to give birth so their child automatically receives U.S. citizenship under the Constitution. Critics often refer to those children as “anchor babies,” arguing that citizenship can later benefit family members through immigration sponsorship, though the term is politically charged and not used in immigration law.

The announcement signals that while the Supreme Court left birthright citizenship intact, the Trump administration intends to target businesses and organizations that allegedly facilitate the practice.

One of the administration’s most prominent examples is an April lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton against De’Ai Postpartum Care Center. The lawsuit alleges the company spent nearly two decades operating an illegal birth tourism network that resulted in more than 1,000 U.S.-born children to foreign nationals.

According to Paxton’s office, the operation primarily catered to Chinese nationals, housing expectant mothers at multiple properties while arranging travel, lodging and medical care. The lawsuit alleges the network facilitated the birth of as many as 20 babies per day at its peak.

Federal officials argue the practice extends well beyond Texas. China analysts told the New York Post that an estimated 1.5 million children born in the United States through birth tourism are now being raised in China, supported by roughly 1,000 companies that allegedly market and organize the service.

The administration’s renewed focus comes as immigration enforcement remains a central priority of President Donald Trump’s second term, with officials promising increased scrutiny of organizations they say profit from exploiting loopholes in U.S. immigration law.