[International] US State Department Task Force Tackles Birth Tourism, Over 600 Visas Revoked
RtiTalk 小編10d ago
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week prohibiting "birth tourism." The US State Department announced on the 12th that it has established a task force to stop birth tourism, responsible for reviewing the activities of visa holders and revoking the visas of those involved in or assisting such acts; the task force has taken action, revoking the visas of over 600 foreigners.
Restricting birthright citizenship has always been one of Trump's priority goals in cracking down on illegal immigration. This time, it specifically targets so-called "birth tourism," which is the practice of foreign pregnant women traveling to the US to give birth, thereby allowing their newborns to obtain US citizenship.
The State Department issued a fact sheet stating that it is working closely with the Department of Homeland Security to combat birth tourism and maintain the integrity of the US immigration system. To this end, the State Department has established the Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force.
The State Department explained that the Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force is responsible for reviewing the activities of visa holders to identify cases of birth tourism and revoke the visas of those involved in or assisting such acts, dismantling the networks that profit from it.
The State Department pointed out that the task force analyzes and integrates information held by the State Department and federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, to address these behaviors. The task force has taken action, revoking the visas of over 600 foreigners.
On the other hand, the State Department stated that intermediary agencies have turned birth tourism into a profitable industry, with these intermediaries posing as doulas, midwives, or health advocates. Some even forge medical documents or instruct clients to conceal their true travel purposes and evade hospital bills.
The State Department emphasized that foreigners who intentionally misrepresent their travel or entry purposes to the United States may be permanently ineligible for a US visa or entry into the United States.
The State Department has discovered that some applicants circumvent US laws to obtain US citizenship for their children. For example, a couple used attending a conference and shopping for vacation as a pretext to give birth in the US, misrepresenting their travel purpose in their visa application. Related visas have been revoked.
Other cases include a foreign government official who applied for a visa citing a one-week business trip for their government but stayed for three months and gave birth in the US before departing. The State Department has revoked their visa. Another traveler applied for a visa under the guise of a vacation in Orlando but ended up in Los Angeles, giving birth five days after arriving. The State Department has revoked their visa.
An analysis by the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for reduced immigration, estimated in 2020 that approximately 20,000 to 25,000 pregnant women traveled to the US for birth tourism during the 1-year period from 2016 to 2017. The US birth population in 2025 is projected to be 3.6 million. (Editor: Liu Xiang-hua)
Source Link: https://www.rti.org.tw/news?uid=3&pid=225941
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