ICE launches 'Birth Tourism Initiative' to target networks facilitating citizenship schemes
Apr 10, 2026
The Trump administration announced a new ICE operation targeting networks that help pregnant foreign nationals come to the U.S. to give birth so their children can obtain citizenship. While giving birth in the U.S. is not unlawful, federal regulation prohibits using temporary visas for the primary purpose of obtaining citizenship for newborns, and violators could face fraud or related criminal charges. The administration characterizes birth tourism as a cost to taxpayers and national security threat, though DHS acknowledges the practice itself is not explicitly illegal.
Sources
- ICE launches new effort to uncover US ‘birth tourism schemes’
Yahoo News·Apr 11, 2026·archived copy
- ICE Launches New Effort To Uncover US ‘Birth Tourism Schemes’ - The Boca Raton Tribune
bocaratontribune.com·Apr 12, 2026·archived copy
- dawn.com
- ICE launches new effort to uncover US ‘birth tourism schemes’ - Sight Magazine
sightmagazine.com.au·Apr 12, 2026·archived copy
Related incidents
- US deported 500+ people to third-country African nations despite torture, persecution risksOct 8, 2026
- ICE reportedly uses banned NJ warehouse as secret detention siteOct 8, 2026 · Roxbury, NJ
- Nearly 15,000 deported after ICE arrest surge in Los Angeles, study findsOct 8, 2026 · Los Angeles, CA
- Portland-area immigration arrests spike, fueling fears of new ICE operationOct 6, 2026 · Portland, OR
- Justice Department moves to strip citizenship from 40 naturalized AmericansOct 6, 2026
- ProPublica finds ICE detained over 500 U.S. citizens despite denialsOct 6, 2026