Trump's Birth Tourism Crackdown Against Pregnant Travelers Explained

Immigration attorney Leon Fresco was featured in an interview with Newsweek about the Trump Administration's efforts to prevent foreign nationals from traveling to the United States for the primary purpose of giving birth and securing U.S. citizenship for their children. The article examined proposed restrictions on travel during the later stages of pregnancy, an executive order targeting so-called "birth tourism," and the visa and border enforcement tools available to the administration. Leon explained that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials can question travelers about the reason for their visit and pursue immigration fraud allegations if they suspect an individual is misrepresenting or concealing plans to give birth. He added, however, that determining intent can be difficult and said the administration could instead seek to limit immigration benefits associated with having a U.S.-citizen child as a way of deterring the practice.

"They can't block birthright citizenship, which is what they tried," he commented. "What they're going to try to do is block all of the various accompaniments that come with birthright citizenship."

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