Though hobbled by a June 2026 Supreme Court decision inimical to the Trump administration’s efforts to stop or radically reduce “birth tourism,” the administration is doing what it can to impede the practice.
The Department of Homeland Security has announced that it is suspending a “Birth Tourism Loophole” consisting of a visa-free travel program in the Northern Mariana Islands “that opened the door to birth tourism and other vulnerabilities” (October 29, 2026).
The United States Department of Homeland Security today took decisive action to protect American sovereignty and the rule of law. It is suspending visa-free travel for Chinese nationals to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)….
Under the CNMI Economic Vitality & Security Travel Authorization Program, Chinese nationals could access the islands for up to 14 days with no visa and no consular interview. With the program suspended, Chinese nationals must go through the same visa process required to enter anywhere else in the United States. DHS is conducting a full review of the program with the Departments of State and the Interior and is addressing current threats.
The DHS secretary, Markwayne Mullin, suggests that “American citizenship is not a travel perk.”
A birth tourist is a pregnant woman who travels to the United States so that her child can be born in this country and thereby obtain U.S. citizenship. Typically, only the foreign-national mother—often a surrogate mother, sometimes acting under duress—makes the trip. Meanwhile, the foreign-national father who resides in the People’s Republic of China or other foreign country stays home, or at any rate does not accompany the mother to the U.S.
“Once the child turns twenty-one,” notes First Things, “the entire family can apply for citizenship through a green card application.” Perhaps the father and the foreign government will also have other ideas about how to exploit the former baby’s U.S. citizenship.
Also see:
StoptheCCP.org: “That’ll be 200 surrogate babies, please”
U.S. Supreme Court: Trump et al. v. Barbara et al.
