Reuters: US plans to block foreign women from giving birth on its soil

US authorities are seeking to prohibit foreign women from giving birth in the country, as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has launched efforts to combat so-called birth tourism, Reuters reports.

ICE has reportedly initiated an operation targeting schemes involving entry into the United States on tourist visas with the purpose of giving birth in order to secure US citizenship for the child.

Agents have been instructed to identify companies, intermediaries, and networks that facilitate such arrangements for foreign nationals.

"Uninhibited birth tourism poses a tremendous cost to taxpayers and threatens our national security," ⁠White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement, adding that most nations do not provide automatic citizenship at birth.

The US Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on ongoing investigations but stated that it is aware of networks that facilitate travel to the United States for birth tourism.

By Jeyhun Aghazada