State Department says birth-tourism crackdown has now revoked more than 6,000 visas, ten times August's tally

State Department says birth-tourism crackdown has now revoked more than 6,000 visas, ten times August's tally.

The U.S. State Department said Thursday that its Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force has revoked more than 6,000 visas from foreigners who engaged in or facilitated "birth tourism," the practice of traveling to the United States to give birth so a child acquires U.S. citizenship. "We are identifying and holding accountable everyone involved in this illicit practice," the department posted on its official X account.

The figure marks a steep climb. When the department announced the task force on Aug. 12, its fact sheet said more than 600 visas had been revoked. Reports in early November, citing the department, put the number at more than 4,000, according to the Times of India.

The task force was set up after President Trump signed executive orders on Aug. 6, including one titled Ending Birth Tourism, following the Supreme Court's rejection of his attempt to restrict birthright citizenship, Bloomberg Law reported. It works with the Department of Homeland Security to review visa holders' travel histories worldwide and to target what Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called networks that coach applicants and forge documents. "American citizenship is not for sale," Rubio wrote in August, Anadolu reported.

The department's August fact sheet described the kinds of cases it pursues: a couple that used a conference and a shopping trip as cover to give birth to two children in the U.S.; a foreign official who requested a one-week official visa, stayed three months and gave birth; a tourist who listed Orlando as a destination but flew to Los Angeles and delivered five days later. Applicants who willfully misrepresent their purpose may be permanently barred, the department says.

What the department has not published is a breakdown by nationality, the share of revocations involving people inside the U.S., or how many cases involved facilitators rather than parents. Visa revocations are discretionary and are generally made, in the department's words, "when there are indications of a potential ineligibility," which means they do not require a court finding.

Immigrant-rights advocates have warned that broad, data-driven reviews risk sweeping in lawful travelers who happened to give birth while visiting. The department says its standard is misrepresentation. Focus Plus Media will follow how the cases are reviewed and whether affected travelers have any avenue to contest them.