Trump attorney general plots crackdown on ‘birth tourism’ after Supreme Court ruling

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has signaled a new focus on combating "birth tourism," a day after the Supreme Court affirmed the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship. Blanche announced that federal prosecutors and law enforcement agencies will concentrate efforts on deterring tourists, temporary visitors, and undocumented immigrants from coming to the U.S. specifically to give birth.

Blanche stated that the Department of Homeland Security and other federal entities could explore additional measures within the visa and application processes. The goal, he explained, is to minimize or restrict opportunities for individuals who may not be entering the country for the stated purposes of their visas, such as tourism, but rather with the intention of having a child who would then become a U.S. citizen.

This initiative comes despite data indicating that births to non-citizen mothers, including those without legal status, account for a small percentage of total births in the U.S. annually. The acting attorney general's remarks suggest a potential shift in enforcement priorities, aiming to address what the administration views as a loophole in immigration policy.

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There’s other things that DHS can do, and the federal government can do in the visa process, and the application process, to try to minimize or limit the opportunity of folks coming here not to visit, and not to do what they’re saying they’re doing on the tourist visa, but just to have a baby that can then be a US citizen.