By Nkiruka Nnorom
The United States government has established a new inter-agency task force to clamp down on birth tourism, a practice where foreign nationals travel to the US primarily to give birth and secure American citizenship for their children.
The Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force, announced today by the Department of State under President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has already revoked over 600 visas across different regions of the world in the first round of action.
The new move came after Trump signed two executive orders the previous week directing federal agencies to deny visas, revoke travel authorisation and deport foreign nationals who enter the country for the purpose of giving birth.
According to a Fact Sheet released by the Office of the Spokesperson, the move was part of a broader effort to defend the integrity of US citizenship and ensure that non-immigrant visas were used only for their lawful purposes.
