Texas closes a facility accused of facilitating more than 1,000 cases of 'birth tourism'

The Texas Attorney General's Office secured the closure of De'Ai Postpartum Care Center, a facility in the Houston area accused of facilitating more than 1,000 births to foreign nationals, primarily from China, as part of a scheme known as "birth tourism."

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, announced on Friday that the center must cease operations and stop facilitating births for foreign clients, following the lawsuit filed by his office in April.

"This operation helped foreign Chinese citizens come to Texas to evade our laws. Now we've shut it down," Paxton said when announcing the outcome of the case on his X account.

Two decades of "maternity tourism" operations

According to the original complaint, De'Ai had been in operation for nearly two decades and promoted its services primarily through Chinese websites and social media. The District Attorney's Office alleged that the business advised its clients on how to navigate immigration checks and even recommended applying for visas before pregnancy to avoid raising suspicions about the true purpose of the trip.

The company operated from at least four properties in Houston, Sugar Land, Richmond and Rosenberg, according to the state investigation. The complaint alleged possible violations of consumer protection laws, tampering with government documents and other Texas regulations.

The court settlement filed on Friday stipulates that the center must cease its activities related to obstetric, gynecological and immigration services, according to a report by Bloomberg Law.

The case comes as Texas authorities continue to investigate other possible similar "birth tourism" schemes in the state.