Texas Republican leaders are cracking down on birth tourism despite federal legal hurdles. Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton have launched investigations and lawsuits against Texas medical facilities, including De'Ai Postpartum Care Center and Mission Regional Medical Center. These actions follow a June 2026 Supreme Court ruling striking down President Donald Trump's birthright citizenship ban and a Maryland federal court's block on his August 2026 executive order.
Texas birth tourism crackdown
- ▪Texas Governor Greg Abbott directed the Texas Health and Human Services Commission in July 2026 to investigate Mission Regional Medical Center for allegedly promoting birth tourism packages to Mexican nationals.
- ▪Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order in July 2026 directing state licensing agencies to investigate healthcare providers for birth tourism involvement and revoke their operating licenses if involved.
- ▪Mission Regional Medical Center discontinued a marketing campaign consisting of two billboards and a website after Texas officials launched investigations into the facility's alleged birth tourism packages.
- ▪Texas State Representative Brian Harrison called on Governor Greg Abbott on July 1, 2026, to convene a special legislative session to make birth tourism a state felony.
Trump executive order blocked
- ▪Judge Deborah Boardman of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's August 2026 executive order targeting birth tourism.
- ▪President Donald Trump issued an executive order in August 2026 directing federal agencies to revoke visas of noncitizens entering the United States to give birth.
Birthright citizenship Supreme Court
- ▪The Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution grants citizenship to individuals born in the United States, regardless of the legal status of their parents.
- ▪The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on June 30, 2026, that President Donald Trump's executive order denying automatic citizenship to children of undocumented immigrants was unconstitutional.
Birth tourism visa fraud
- ▪Migration Policy Institute Associate Director Julia Gelatt stated that birth tourism accounts for less than 1% of annual births in the United States.
- ▪Concealing the intent to give birth in the United States during a visa application is a federal offense that can result in deportation and a ten-year reentry ban.
- ▪Immigration attorney Gordon Quan stated that U.S. consular officers already possess broad discretionary authority to deny visas to travelers suspected of entering the country to give birth.
Paxton maternity facility lawsuits
- ▪Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's lawsuit against De'Ai Postpartum Care Center alleges violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, conspiracy, and federal harboring laws.
- ▪Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ordered investigations into Mission Regional Medical Center and Knapp Medical Center in south Texas regarding alleged birth tourism promotions.
- ▪Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit in late April 2026 seeking an injunction to shut down the Houston-area De'Ai Postpartum Care Center for allegedly operating as a maternity hotel.
Transnational human smuggling networks
- ▪Former U.S. Border Patrol agent Ammon Blair stated that birth tourism networks charge Chinese nationals $60,000 to $80,000 and Western Hemisphere nationals $8,000 to $10,000 per person.
- ▪Former U.S. Border Patrol agent Ammon Blair stated that transnational networks, including the Chinese Communist Party and Mexican cartels, operate lucrative birth tourism human smuggling operations.
Debatable claims
- ▪Texas should revoke the operating licenses of healthcare providers involved in birth tourism
- ▪The US government should revoke visas of noncitizens entering the country to give birth
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