The Trump administration has revoked nearly 900 visas as part of an escalating crackdown on what the State Department calls “birth tourism,” the agency’s spokesperson Tommy Pigott said.
Pigott disclosed the latest figure during an interview with National Report, saying the number has risen significantly since the department announced a task force focused on disrupting networks that allegedly facilitate birth tourism and visa fraud.
“When that task force was announced, the Secretary noted that we had revoked over 600 visas. I can now say that we are at nearly 900 visas revoked since this task force was launched,” Pigott said.
The State Department has described birth tourism as a practice in which foreign nationals travel to the United States primarily to give birth, with the expectation that their children will obtain U.S. citizenship under existing birthright citizenship rules.
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Pigott said the administration is targeting networks that advertise services to pregnant foreign nationals and allegedly coach visa applicants on how to misrepresent their intentions to U.S. consular officers. “Well, it really is an insidious practice. We are seeing this the global phenomenon and we’re seeing these networks that are profiting, trying to essentially sell US citizenship,” Pigott said. He accused some operators of presenting themselves as healthcare providers while facilitating what the administration considers birth tourism.
“This includes by advertising a world they say is without borders or automatic citizenship, disguising themselves as health care services when in reality it is the insidious practice with birth tourism and then on top of defraud and counselor officers to get that visa,” Pigott said.
The State Department’s campaign is particularly relevant to prospective travelers from countries where medical tourism and childbirth-related travel to the United States have drawn scrutiny. For Indian Americans and Indian nationals considering travel to the United States, the latest enforcement push underscores the importance of accurately stating the purpose of a visa application and providing truthful information during the consular process.
Pigott said the administration believes some birth tourism networks coach applicants to mislead U.S. officials and then leave American taxpayers responsible for medical expenses. “They then coach these people to defraud the American people when they’re here and leave taxpayers putting the bill for their medical expenses,” he said. The State Department has previously taken steps against birth tourism under the Trump administration. In 2020, the State Department introduced a rule allowing consular officers to deny B-1/B-2 visitor visas when they have reason to believe an applicant’s primary purpose is to give birth in the United States.
The latest figures indicate that enforcement has expanded beyond individual visa decisions to include efforts against the networks facilitating the practice. Pigott said the nearly 900 revoked visas are part of a broader campaign. “And that is on top of the actions that we have taken since the beginning of this administration to shut down birth tours and networks,” he said.
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The announcement does not indicate that foreign nationals are categorically barred from traveling to the United States while pregnant. Rather, the administration’s focus is on cases in which officials determine that applicants misrepresented their intentions or used visa fraud in connection with birth tourism.
The State Department has not publicly provided a detailed breakdown of the nearly 900 revoked visas by nationality, country or specific grounds for revocation. For Indian travelers and families, the development is another reminder that U.S. visa scrutiny remains closely tied to the stated purpose of travel. Applicants who provide false information or misrepresent their intentions can face serious immigration consequences.