Yet another target in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown is what he refers to as "birth tourism."
Yet another target in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown is what he refers to as "birth tourism," when pregnant women from outside the United States travel to give birth in this country.
Under the 14th Amendment, their babies are then given U.S. citizenship.
In the Oval Office on Oct. 6, Trump said,
This was for the babies of slaves. And uh what's happening now, people are building businesses around it from wealthy people are building businesses around birthright citizenship.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced this week that he plans to target those businesses, in a statement announcing actions he's taken in the last month that have resulted in more than 600 visas for foreign nationals across the globe.
This policy targets individuals who knowingly engage in, have engaged in, or facilitate birth tourism to the United States, including owners, operators, and managers of commercial birth tourism facilitation networks, visa “fixers” who coach applicants to commit fraud, foreign medical providers who knowingly abet and facilitate such travel and the fraudulent use of our Medicaid system, and other individuals who support, abet, and enable commercial birth tourism."
Some websites have been discovered to tout accommodations in California, appearing to market to women in China.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., has proposed legislation on the issue with a focus on those in other countries who use U.S. women as surrogates and then bring their U.S. citizen babies back to their home countries.
He spoke about it on the Senate floor Tuesday.
What happens to these children? What are they taught? What are they taught to love. And what happens when they’re old enough to return to the United States? Can they attend our universities? Can they serve in our military? Can they receive security clearances? Can they run for President?
A recent hearing on Capitol Hill included the questioning of the man behind the website HaveMyBabyinMiami.com, who was subpoenaed to appear and did not answer questions about his business.
When asked by Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas. “Has your business helped members of the Chinese Communist Party obtain citizenship?"
Wladimir Lorentz responded, "On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer the question on the grounds that a truthful answer may tend to incriminate me, and I invoke my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution."
Democrats meanwhile are accusing Republicans and the president of trying to alter the U.S. Constitution.
“So they can ramp up their brutal campaign against immigrants, so they can maybe turn citizenship into a favor granted or withheld based on your race, where you're from, who you know, or maybe who you vote for," suggested Rep. James Walkinshaw, D-Va.
Other critics have fired back at Rubio’s declaration that "American citizenship is not for sale," citing the Trump administration's own gold card program, offering citizenship to those who pay a million dollars.
