Trump administration tightens rules on 'birth tourism'

President Donald Trump's administration has intensified its efforts against "birth tourism" with new executive orders aimed at restricting the practice, which allows foreign women, particularly from Mexico, to travel to the United States on tourist visas to give birth. This move escalates the administration's focus on ending birthright citizenship, a right protected by the 14th Amendment.

According to Víctor Clark Alfaro, director of the Binational Human Rights Center in Tijuana, the two executive orders issued on August 6th aim to combat birth tourism. This follows a Supreme Court ruling that previously blocked Trump's attempt to eliminate birthright citizenship. Clark Alfaro explained that the new regulations will lead to heightened controls at U.S. ports of entry and consulates for pregnant foreign women seeking legal entry.

"These are the ones who will be meticulously interrogated," stated the specialist. The impact is particularly significant in border cities like Tijuana, where families often have members on both sides of the border. Clark Alfaro noted that the measures could affect parents whose children were previously born in the U.S. after they entered on tourist visas. "For several days now, they have started canceling visas, B1/B2 visas, for parents whose children were born in the United States," he reported.

The U.S. Department of State had already begun restricting birth tourism in January 2020, modifying visa regulations to allow consulates to deny visitor visas if the primary purpose of travel was perceived to be giving birth for U.S. citizenship. However, the U.S. does permit entry with a visitor visa for medical treatment, meaning pregnancy itself is not an absolute barrier to entry.

Concerns have also been raised regarding potential health risks associated with stricter border controls. Jesús Fabián R. Walters Arballo, president of the Baja Health Cluster in Tijuana, expressed worry that heightened scrutiny could put pregnant women at risk. "What we don't want is for there to be a health problem or for them to be put at risk for that reason," he stated.

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Desde hace ya varios días están empezando a cancelar visas, visas B1/B2 a padres de familia cuyos hijos nacieron en Estados Unidos.