Rubio sets up task force to combat ‘birth tourism’, 600 visas revoked

In a bid to combat “birth tourism,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced the creation of a State Department task force. This comes amid US president Donald Trump seeking to end “birthright citizenship,” which gives US citizenship to anyone born on US soil.

The US State Department in a statement released on Wednesday said that to "ensure nonimmigrant visas are used only for their lawful and intended purposes, and prevent their exploitation through birth tourism," it is establishing a new "birth tourism", prevention task force.

What is the role of the task force?

• It will “review the activities of visa holders worldwide to identify instances of birth tourism, take action to revoke visas of those who engage in or facilitate it, and dismantle the networks that profit from this abuse”
• The task force will analyse and connect information held across the Department and other federal agencies, including the DHS
• Travel histories of individuals from all around the world will be examined
• Notably more than 600 visas from foreign nationals across the globe has been revoked by the task force in past month

Rubio in his statement said "Elaborate birth tourism rings are profiting off the exploitation of America's laws- coaching foreigners to defraud the US visa system, arranging travel and housing, and even forging documents, all to enable foreign nationals to obtain citizenship for their children."

“The State Department will review the activity of visa holders, dismantle illegal birth tourism networks, and put an end to this heinous abuse of our nation’s laws," he added.

The US administration has fought unsuccessfully in courts to end “birth tourism,” a word Trump administration phrase for foreign women coming to the United States with the intention of giving birth to a child on US soil in order to secure their child’s American citizenship.