Azernews.Az

By Alimat Aliyeva

The U.S. State Department has created a special unit to combat so-called “birth tourism” — a practice in which foreign nationals travel to the United States primarily to give birth, allowing their children to obtain U.S. citizenship, AzerNEWS reports.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the move on X, saying the new unit would monitor visa holders, investigate illegal birth-tourism networks, and crack down on what he described as abuse of U.S. immigration laws.

According to Rubio, the department has already revoked more than 600 visas worldwide in just one month as part of the crackdown.

The move follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump aimed at restricting travel to the United States for the sole purpose of giving birth and obtaining citizenship for a child. Under the measures, people suspected of being involved in birth tourism could face visa cancellation, denial of entry, removal from the country and restrictions on future travel to the United States.

Birth tourism has been a controversial issue in the U.S. for years. Some agencies have openly offered foreign clients assistance with accommodation, travel and medical services during pregnancy. Authorities are now expected to pay closer attention to these networks and the people facilitating such trips.

The issue is also legally sensitive. Birthright citizenship is linked to the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which has long been interpreted as providing citizenship to most people born on American soil. As a result, the government's attempts to restrict birth tourism have sparked a wider debate over immigration policy and the constitutional limits of presidential power.