State Department: More Than 6,000 Visas Revoked in Birth Tourism Crackdown, Including Over 700 Held by Chinese Nationals
The U.S. Department of State announced on November 12, through its official social media account, that its Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force has now revoked more than 6,000 visas from foreigners who engaged in or facilitated birth tourism. The department said it is identifying and holding accountable everyone involved in the practice.
The figure jumped sharply in under two weeks: on October 31 the department put the total at more than 4,000 revoked visas and disclosed that over 700 of them belonged to Chinese nationals; the November announcement provided no updated breakdown by nationality. "Birth tourism" refers to traveling to the United States on a temporary visa primarily to give birth so that the child acquires U.S. citizenship at birth.
The enforcement drive rests on a set of measures taken this year: President Trump signed Executive Order 14419, "Ending Birth Tourism," on August 6; the State Department established its prevention task force on August 12, when more than 600 visas had already been revoked, and the task force works across State Department offices and coordinates with the Department of Homeland Security, examining visa holders' activities and travel histories; and on September 23, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a visa restriction policy targeting people who knowingly engage in or facilitate birth tourism, with certain family members potentially covered as well.
A visa revocation is not, by itself, a deportation or a criminal conviction: it cancels the person's visa eligibility, and any further immigration or criminal consequences depend on the individual case. For Chinese families considering giving birth in the United States, or arranging such trips through agencies, the enforcement posture means related visas can be reviewed retroactively and revoked.
(Source: U.S. Department of State)
Source: U.S. Department of State
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，美国国务院总部 Harry S Truman Building 标牌（G. Edward Johnson摄），CC BY 4.0 | Image: Wikimedia Commons, Harry S Truman Building sign at U.S. Department of State headquarters, by G. Edward Johnson, CC BY 4.0
