US Targets Illegal “Birth Tourism” with Global Crackdown, Revokes African Visas

The United States Department of State has stepped up enforcement against what it calls illegal “birth tourism” schemes that seek to secure American citizenship for children through visitor visas.

The department announced the move in a statement posted on its official X handle on Wednesday.

“Under President Trump, the State Department is defending the integrity of U.S. citizenship by ending illegal birth tourism schemes,” the statement read. “No foreigner is permitted to obtain a visitor visa for the primary purpose of acquiring U.S. citizenship for a child by giving birth in the U.S.”

A U.S. embassy in West Africa uncovered a sophisticated birth‑tourism network involving more than 100 foreign nationals who used fraudulent documents and visa “fixers” to obtain visas in order to secure U.S. citizenship for their children. The embassy shut the network down, revoked the affected nationals’ visas, and is working with local authorities to identify and dismantle similar operations.

In Europe, a U.S. embassy identified more than 400 suspected birth‑tourism cases since 2024. Investigators traced the cases to at least six companies that coached applicants on what to say during their visa interviews, arranged U.S. housing, and set up delivery plans. The embassy shut the network, revoked the visas, and permanently banned several fraudsters from traveling to the United States.

One U.S. embassy in North Africa revoked more than 100 visas issued to “birth tourist” parents who came to the United States primarily to give birth so their children could obtain U.S. citizenship. Consular officers, working with law enforcement and using data analytics, identified several networks abusing the system and put a stop to them.