Congressman McCormick Presses Immigration Expert on Birth Tourism, Calls for Closing Immigration Loophole
Washington, D.C. — Today, Congressman Rich McCormick (GA-07) participated in a House Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuses roundtable examining birth tourism in the United States, where 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, Congressman McCormick highlighted his landmark legislation, the Ban Birth Tourism Act, which would prevent foreign nationals from traveling to the United States for the primary purpose of giving birth in order to obtain American citizenship for their child.
“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,” said Congressman McCormick during the roundtable. “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.”
McCormick questioned Camarota on whether 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.
McCormick also raised concerns about the potential long-term immigration consequences of birth tourism and questioned Camarota on how the practice has developed over time to which 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.
Congressman McCormick introduced the Ban Birth Tourism Act on July 23 as the House companion to Senator Marsha Blackburn’s legislation. The bill would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to make birth tourism grounds for inadmissibility and deportation.
The Ban Birth Tourism Act of 2026 would:
- Make any alien seeking admission to the United States for the primary purpose of obtaining U.S. citizenship for a child through childbirth inadmissible.
- Add birth tourism as a deportable offense under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
- Authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security, Secretary of State, and consular officers to determine, based on reasonable judgment, whether an individual is engaging in birth tourism.