By Tiffany Williams –
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday directing federal agencies to intensify efforts to prevent foreign nationals from entering the United States on temporary visas for the primary purpose of giving birth and obtaining U.S. citizenship for their children.
The order, titled “Ending Birth Tourism,” was issued by the White House on Aug. 6 and gives the secretaries of State and Homeland Security authority to take additional steps against what the administration describes as abuse of the nation’s nonimmigrant visa system.
Under the order, birth tourism is defined as a foreign national entering the United States on a nonimmigrant visa for the purpose of giving birth in the country, as well as efforts by others to facilitate that travel.
The administration argues that some birth tourism businesses market travel packages to pregnant foreign nationals, promise U.S. citizenship for their children and coach customers on how to conceal the true purpose of their visits from consular and border officials.
Trump’s order directs the State Department and Department of Homeland Security to review and update rules, policies and operational guidance to prevent nonimmigrant visa classifications from being used for birth tourism.
The agencies could deny visas or travel authorization to people believed to be entering the country for that purpose. The order also allows federal officials, within their existing legal authority, to revoke visas, deny entry, pursue removal or take action against individuals and organizations accused of facilitating birth tourism.
The directive also raises the possibility of permanently barring some foreign nationals from entering the United States if officials determine they entered or attempted to enter the country to participate in birth tourism.
Humanitarian and national-interest exemptions remain available under the order at the discretion of the secretary of State or secretary of Homeland Security.
The administration says the policy is intended to protect the integrity of temporary visa programs and ensure that visitors use those visas for the purposes authorized under federal immigration law.
The new action comes amid a broader and highly contentious fight over birthright citizenship. The 14th Amendment has long been interpreted to grant U.S. citizenship to nearly everyone born on American soil, and legal disputes over Trump administration efforts to narrow that guarantee have continued through the federal courts.
The birth tourism order itself focuses primarily on who may receive a visa or enter the United States, rather than declaring that children born in the United States through birth tourism automatically lose citizenship.
Federal rules already adopted in 2020 allowed consular officers to deny certain tourist visas when officials had reason to believe the primary purpose of the trip was giving birth in the United States to obtain citizenship for a child. The new executive order directs the administration to pursue a broader enforcement strategy around the practice.
Estimates of how frequently birth tourism occurs vary. The Migration Policy Institute reported this year that one broad estimate placed the number of annual U.S. births associated with birth tourism between roughly 22,000 and 26,000, while government data recorded about 9,600 births in 2024 to mothers with foreign addresses.
The executive order says federal agencies must implement the directive consistent with existing law and gives the State and Homeland Security departments discretion over how the new restrictions and enforcement measures will be carried out.