Texas Republican leaders and House Republicans are intensifying efforts to combat 'birth tourism,' even as federal courts block national restrictions. Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton have launched investigations into South Texas hospitals and filed lawsuits against facilities like the De'Ai Postpartum Care Center. Meanwhile, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump's August 2026 executive order targeting birth tourism visas, following a June 2026 Supreme Court ruling that upheld the Fourteenth Amendment's birthright citizenship protections.
Texas birth tourism crackdown
- ▪Mission Regional Medical Center stated that its discontinued marketing campaign consisted of two billboards and a website that generated very little patient volume.
- ▪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.
- ▪Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order directing state licensing agencies to investigate healthcare providers for involvement in birth tourism and revoke their licenses.
- ▪United States Representative James Comer accused Democrats of not caring about abuses of the citizenship system during a House hearing on birthright citizenship.
- ▪Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ordered investigations into Mission Regional Medical Center and Knapp Medical Center in south Texas regarding birth tourism promotion.
Trump executive orders blocked
- ▪President Donald Trump's August 2026 executive order directed federal agencies to revoke visas and permanently bar noncitizens entering the United States to give birth.
- ▪President Donald Trump signed an executive order on the first day of his second term denying automatic U.S. citizenship to children of undocumented immigrants.
- ▪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.
Birthright citizenship constitutional framework
- ▪The Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution grants citizenship to virtually anyone born in the United States, regardless of parental legal status.
- ▪The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on June 30, 2026, that President Donald Trump's executive order denying birthright citizenship was unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment.
- ▪Julia Gelatt of the Migration Policy Institute stated that birth tourism is a small phenomenon representing less than 1% of annual births in the United States.
Birth tourism visa screening
- ▪Immigration attorney Gordon Quan stated that U.S. consuls already possess wide latitude and total authority to deny visas to travelers.
- ▪Lying about the reason for entering the United States on a visa application is a federal offense that can result in deportation and a ten-year ban.
- ▪Former U.S. Border Patrol agent Ammon Blair stated that transnational networks, including the Chinese Communist Party and Mexican cartels, operate lucrative birth tourism operations.
Paxton De'Ai lawsuit
- ▪Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is seeking an injunction to shut down De'Ai Postpartum Care Center, which allegedly facilitates up to 20 births per day.
- ▪Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's lawsuit against De'Ai Postpartum Care Center alleges violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and federal harboring laws.
- ▪Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit in late April 2026 against the Houston-area De'Ai Postpartum Care Center, alleging it operated as a maternity hotel.
- ▪De'Ai Postpartum Care Center and its proprietors denied all allegations of operating an illegal birth tourism scheme in court documents.
Debatable claims
- ▪The U.S. should permanently bar noncitizens who enter the country to give birth
- ▪Texas should revoke the licenses of healthcare providers that facilitate birth tourism
- ▪Birth tourism poses a significant threat to U.S. national security
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