Representative Rich McCormick (GA-07) recently participated in a House Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuses roundtable examining birth tourism in the United States.
How else did Rep. Rich McCormick participate? During this roundtable, he questioned Dr. Steven A. Camarota, Director of Research at the Center for Immigration Studies, on the growing birth tourism industry and additional steps Congress can take to combat the practice.
During the roundtable, Rep. McCormick highlighted his recently introduced legislation, the Ban Birth Tourism Act.
If passed, this bill would prevent foreign nationals from traveling to the United States for the primary purpose of giving birth to obtain American citizenship for their child.
What Rep. Rich McCormick had to say in his opening:
- “American citizenship is one of the greatest privileges in the world. It shouldn't be bought as a product, exploited through a loophole, or handed out to foreign nationals who fly here solely to give birth and then return home. Every year, roughly 33,000 children are born here in the United States to birth tourists, many of whose parents are coached by businesses that teach how to deceive immigration officials. That is not a legal gray area. It's fraud by design, and we cannot tolerate it any longer.”
How did Dr. Camarota contribute? Rep. McCormick questioned Camarota on if the Ban Birth Tourism Act is a step in the right direction and what additional actions could be taken to prevent the practice.
Camarota pointed to stronger prosecution of businesses facilitating birth tourism and changes to the visa process that would allow consular officials to more effectively identify individuals seeking to enter the United States for that purpose.
Rep. McCormick then raised concerns about the potential long-term immigration consequences of birth tourism and questioned Camarota on how the practice has developed over time.
In response, Camarota described birth tourism at its current scale as a largely modern phenomenon, pointing in part to the increased affordability and accessibility of international travel.
