Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, is launching a congressional investigation into companies that help foreign nationals travel to the United States specifically to give birth so their children automatically receive American citizenship.
Gill’s Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuses, operating under the House Oversight Committee, recently sent investigative letters to several birth tourism agencies operating in Florida, Texas and California.
The investigation targets companies including Have My Baby in Miami, International Maternity Services in El Paso, Doctores Para Ti in Texas and a San Diego-area OB/GYN clinic run by Dr. Athiya Javid.
Gill is demanding records related to how the agencies market childbirth packages to foreign clients and whether they coach pregnant women on how to obtain tourist visas without disclosing that their true purpose for entering the United States is to give birth.
“While it is not inherently illegal for a foreign traveler to give birth in the United States, willfully misrepresenting one’s intentions to enter the country on a temporary visitor visa is a violation of current law and considered visa fraud,” Gill wrote in one letter.
“The birth tourism industry relies on exploiting birthright citizenship as currently interpreted under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution,” he added.
In a video posted to social media, Gill accused the companies of openly profiting from loopholes in America’s immigration system.
“Have My Baby in Miami — that’s the name of an actual company that is facilitating birth tourism into the United States, where foreigners come in on visas, have children, then leave so that their children can remain American citizens,” Gill said.
“That’s a problem. The American people are sick of it, and my task force on the House Oversight Committee is going after these companies,” he continued.
Under current interpretation of the 14th Amendment, virtually any child born on American soil automatically receives American citizenship regardless of the immigration status or nationality of the parents.
Critics argue the policy creates incentives for foreign nationals to exploit the system by entering the country solely to secure citizenship benefits for their children.
Estimates suggest roughly 33,000 babies are born each year to foreign visitors who entered the United States on temporary visas, often tourist visas.
Years later, those children can sponsor relatives — including parents — for green cards and eventual permanent residency once they reach adulthood.
The industry reportedly operates heavily among Chinese nationals in California, Russian nationals in Florida, Turkish nationals in New York and Middle Eastern families in Illinois.
Investigative journalist Peter Schweizer’s book “The Invisible Coup” alleged there are more than 100 Chinese-owned birth tourism agencies operating in California alone.
Federal authorities have periodically cracked down on major birth tourism networks over the past decade.
In 2020, the Department of Justice exposed a large-scale operation in New York City that allegedly facilitated birthright citizenship for more than 100 children born to foreign visitors.
A year earlier, federal prosecutors uncovered another major scheme involving Chinese nationals in California, where authorities alleged approximately 8,500 babies received American citizenship after their parents entered the country specifically to give birth.
The renewed congressional focus also comes as the Supreme Court continues weighing broader constitutional questions about birthright citizenship itself.
Conservatives have increasingly argued the 14th Amendment was never intended to automatically grant citizenship to children of temporary visitors, tourists or illegal immigrants.
Gill’s investigation reflects growing Republican efforts to challenge not only illegal immigration but pathways critics argue are being manipulated to secure long-term immigration advantages.
The controversy also touches on larger concerns involving foreign influence, national loyalty and whether birthright citizenship can be strategically used by geopolitical rivals such as China.
The investigation remains ongoing.
READ NEXT: Rep. Brandon Gill Draws Line In The Sand On Immigration
