The U.S. State Department has begun revoking visas for people who entered the country on tourist visas with the primary purpose of giving birth, a practice known as “birth tourism.”
The agency said it launched operations after U.S. embassies uncovered coordinated networks that arranged travel, accommodation and birth plans to secure U.S. citizenship for newborns, according to NBC New York.
Officials reported that one embassy in West Africa identified more than 100 foreigners who used fraudulent documents and visa “brokers” to obtain travel permits, with those visas being revoked and cooperation with local authorities is dismantling the network.
In Europe, a separate mission flagged over 400 suspicious cases since 2024 and traced them to at least six companies that allegedly coached applicants on what to say during consular interviews and organized U.S. housing and medical arrangements.
Another embassy in North Africa revoked more than 100 visas tied to suspected birth tourists.
