Bill to end the 'multi-billion dollar birth tourism industry' reaches Senate floor

Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced legislation in the Senate to combat the "birther tourism industry." The Tennessee Republican introduced the Ban Birth Tourism Act, which seeks to eliminate loopholes that foreigners exploit to obtain U.S. citizenship.

As the senator explained, this industry amasses millions of dollars year after year, since many companies "cater to the travel planning needs of pregnant foreign nationals." She was particularly concerned about the number of Chinese and Russians using this resource.

"These businesses commonly cater to wealthy Russian and Chinese nationals and charge foreign clients thousands of dollars for advice on how to lie to immigration officers," the senator's office explained.

"It is estimated that maternity tourism results in at least 33,000 births each year to women on tourist visas," Blackburn's website reads.

Specifically, the legislation would amend the current Immigration and Nationality Act by prohibiting birth tourism as a permissible basis for obtaining a temporary visitor visa.

"Foreign nationals have been exploiting our nation’s immigration laws for far too long, taking advantage of the system to come to the United States for the sole purpose of giving birth to obtain U.S. citizenship for their children," Blackburn said in a statement.

"The Ban Birth Tourism Act would prevent foreign nationals, including those from adversaries like Communist China and Russia, from buying American citizenship for their children. As President Trump works to end birthright citizenship, we need to get this bill to his desk," she added.

The bill came to Congress after the Supreme Court began hearing arguments on an executive order by President Donald Trump that seeks to end birthright citizenship. "Big case today in the United States Supreme Court. Birthright Citizenship was not meant for people taking vacations to become permanent Citizens of the United States of America, and bringing their families with them, all the time laughing at the ‘SUCKERS’ that we are!" the president wrote on his Truth Social account.

Sister legislation has already been introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Brian Babin (R-TX).