US State Department launches crackdown on birth tourism, visa fraud networks

The U.S. State Department has begun revoking visas for people who entered the country on tourist visas with the primary purpose of giving birth, a practice known as “birth tourism.” 

The agency said it launched operations after U.S. embassies uncovered coordinated networks that arranged travel, accommodation and birth plans to secure U.S. citizenship for newborns, according to NBC New York.

Officials reported that one embassy in West Africa identified more than 100 foreigners who used fraudulent documents and visa “brokers” to obtain travel permits, with those visas being revoked and cooperation with local authorities is dismantling the network.

In Europe, a separate mission flagged over 400 suspicious cases since 2024 and traced them to at least six companies that allegedly coached applicants on what to say during consular interviews and organized U.S. housing and medical arrangements.

Another embassy in North Africa revoked more than 100 visas tied to suspected birth tourists.

The State Department said consular officials are using data analysis, cross-referencing and coordination with security agencies to identify individuals and networks abusing the visa system. 

It emphasized that visitor visas such as B-1/B-2 are not valid when the trip’s primary purpose is to give birth in the United States to secure citizenship for the child. 

Consular authorities may deny or revoke visas if they find fraud, misrepresentation or misuse of the process.

“A U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right,” the department warned in a social media post, saying it will continue actions to dismantle these operations and hold accountable those who attempt to defraud the system, DW Africa reports.

The State Department has not publicly named the specific countries where the alleged networks operated.