WASHINGTON — The State Department says it has uncovered and dismantled several alleged birth-tourism networks spanning West Africa, Europe and North Africa as the administration tightens enforcement against visitor-visa fraud tied to childbirth in the United States.
Officials said the operations used fraudulent documents, visa intermediaries and other services to help foreign nationals obtain U.S. visas and travel primarily to give birth, expecting the children to receive American citizenship. The Daily Wire first reported the findings in June, citing U.S. officials. The department later described investigations led by American embassies overseas.
In West Africa, a U.S. embassy identified what the department called a sophisticated network involving more than 100 foreign nationals who allegedly used fraudulent papers and visa “fixers.” Officials said they shut the operation down, revoked the visas and began working with local authorities to find similar schemes.
A separate inquiry in Europe flagged more than 400 suspected birth-tourism cases dating to 2024. Investigators tied the activity to at least six companies that allegedly coached applicants for visa interviews, arranged housing in the United States and coordinated childbirth plans. The department said the network was disrupted, visas were revoked and several facilitators were permanently barred from traveling to the United States.
In North Africa, another embassy revoked more than 100 visas issued to people officials said had traveled mainly to give birth. Consular officers worked with law enforcement and used data analysis to map suspected networks.
Visitor visas have long been barred for travel whose primary purpose is giving birth to obtain U.S. citizenship. The department amended its rules in 2020 to direct consular officers to deny applications when that intent is apparent.
The crackdown is unfolding alongside a separate fight over birthright citizenship. President Donald Trump issued an executive order in January 2025 seeking to limit citizenship for some children born in the United States. On June 30, 2026, the Supreme Court rejected that broader effort, holding that the order could not deny citizenship to children covered by the Fourteenth Amendment.
Trump issued a narrower order on Aug. 6 aimed in part at alleged birth tourism. That measure was also challenged. On Sept. 2, a federal judge in Maryland issued a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement while the case proceeds.
Visa enforcement against alleged fraud remains distinct from the constitutional dispute. Officials say they will keep targeting fraudulent applications and facilitators even as courts weigh the scope of birthright citizenship.
