Blackburn Leads Colleagues in Introducing Bill to Stop Multi-Million Dollar Birth Tourism Industry Following SCOTUS Ruling on Birthright Citizenship

Blackburn Leads Colleagues in Introducing Bill to Stop Multi-Million Dollar Birth Tourism Industry Following SCOTUS Ruling on Birthright Citizenship July 17, 2026 NASHVILLE, Tenn. – U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) introduced a new and improved version of the Ban Birth Tourism Act to eliminate loopholes that foreign nationals exploit to become U.S. citizens following the Supreme Court’s disappointing decision in Trump v. Barbara: “Following the Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. Barbara, Congress must step up to the plate to protect the integrity of American citizenship,” said Senator Blackburn. “I’m grateful to my Republican colleagues for joining me in reintroducing the Ban Birth Tourism Act to make it crystal clear that any alien seeking to come to our country to engage in birth tourism is both inadmissible and deportable under the Immigration & Nationality Act.” “Birthright citizenship has been exploited for far too long. The Fourteenth Amendment was never intended to reward birth tourism. Congress must close this loophole, and I am proud to join Senator Blackburn in introducing legislation to end this abuse and protect the integrity of American citizenship,” said Senator Budd. “It is a profound blessing to be an American citizen and to inherit the 250-year legacy of freedom and opportunity that has made the United States the greatest country in the world, but U.S. citizenship is not a commodity,” said Senator Cornyn. “By cracking down on birth tourism, a practice often abused and exploited by our adversaries, this legislation ensures our nation’s immigration laws are upheld and American citizenship cannot be bought.” “The Left has spent decades turning our citizenship laws into a giant loophole for anyone willing to hop on a plane, and it's American taxpayers who foot the bill for their reckless open-borders agenda," said Senator Lummis. "Birth tourism has become a multimillion-dollar industry catering to wealthy foreign nationals who exploit our laws to buy their children an American passport and a right to vote in American elections. This bill slams that ridiculous loophole shut for good." “Allowing foreign tourists to give birth in our country specifically with the purpose of securing U.S. citizenship for their children threatens not only the integrity of our immigration system, but also our national security. American citizenship is an honor and a privilege – we cannot let birth tourism operations and bad actors exploit it,” said Senator Sheehy . “The Ban Birth Tourism Act would close a loophole that foreign schemers have used for years to undermine American citizenship, while maintaining protections for legitimate travelers seeking medical care. I’m proud to support this common-sense legislation and look forward to seeing it advance through the Senate.” “Birth tourism is happening, it’s wrong, and it needs to be stopped,” said Senator Banks. “For too long, foreign nationals have abused our immigration system and taken advantage of the American people. It’s time to take back our sovereignty, and I’m proud to join Sen. Blackburn in this fight.” “The Supreme Court did its job. Now it’s time for Congress to do ours. The Supreme Court’s recent birthright citizenship ruling exposed dangerous loopholes that threaten our national security,” said Senator Scott. “Birth tourism is an abuse of our immigration system, and Congress needs to fix this. I'm proud to co-sponsor Senator Blackburn's Ban Birth Tourism Act to close this loophole and put Americans first.” BACKGROUND Birth tourism is a booming multi-million-dollar industry, and companies have capitalized on the allure of U.S. citizenship and cater to the trip-planning needs of pregnant foreigners. These businesses commonly cater to wealthy Russian and Chinese nationals and charge foreign clients thousands of dollars for advice on how to lie to immigration officers. It is estimated birth tourism results in at least 33,000 births to women on tourist visas annually. Those births result in instant citizenship for the infant, who can go on to sponsor the migration of their parents to the United States 21 years later. BAN BIRTH TOURISM ACT The Ban Birth Tourism Act would ban the heinous practice of birth tourism, specifically by: Amending the Immigration & Nationality Act (INA) to make clear that any alien seeking admission to the United States for the primary purpose of obtaining American citizenship for a child by giving birth in the United States is inadmissible; and Adding birth tourism as conduct that constitutes a deportable offense under the INA. Click here for bill text. RELATED Blackburn Introduces Bill to Stop Multi-Million Dollar Birth Tourism Industry https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2026/7/blackburn-leads-colleagues-in-introducing-bill-to-stop-multi-million-dollar-birth-tourism-industry-following-scotus-ruling-on-birthright-citizenship