United States President Donald Trump is considering new restrictions that could bar heavily pregnant foreign women from entering the United States as part of a renewed effort to curb what his administration describes as “birth tourism.”
The proposal follows a recent Supreme Court decision that blocked the administration’s attempt to end automatic birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to certain categories of non-citizen parents.
Speaking on the issue, senior White House adviser Stephen Miller said the administration would closely examine whether pregnant visitors should be allowed into the country on temporary visas if there is reason to believe they intend to give birth in the United States.
According to Miller, the practice enables foreign nationals to secure American citizenship for their children, creating long-term legal and financial implications for the country.
“You have to think very carefully about who you let into your country, even on a temporary basis because of the possibility for birth tourism,” he said, adding that the administration intends to review the issue more closely.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said President Trump remains committed to preserving what she described as the value of natural-born American citizenship and has instructed Congress to pursue legislative action on the matter.
She also disclosed that the Department of Justice would intensify investigations into alleged birth tourism operations that facilitate travel to the United States for the purpose of giving birth.
The administration’s renewed focus comes after the Supreme Court invalidated an executive order signed by Trump on his first day back in office that sought to deny automatic citizenship to children born in the United States to parents who were either in the country unlawfully or on temporary visas.
The proposed restrictions form part of the administration’s broader immigration agenda, which seeks to tighten border controls and limit what it considers abuses of the country’s immigration and citizenship laws.
