Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched a legal campaign against a business that he says was operating a birth tourism scheme in the Houston area, aimed at helping Chinese nationals get U.S. citizenship for their newborn children.
According to Texas Scorecard reporting on the lawsuit, De’Ai Postpartum Care Center even went as far as coaching clients on how to avoid being caught by the State Department, advising them to apply for their visas before conceiving a child.
Ira Mehlman with the Federation for American Immigration Reform says this is a prime example of the kind of fraud and abuse that has been enabled by our current understanding of the 14th Amendment and birthright citizenship.
“It’s a very important concern for national security. The Chinese obviously have long-term plans, and they’re a very adversarial nation,” he said, pointing out the obvious risks posed by those beholden to a foreign power like the CCP being given the rights and privileges of American citizenship.
Mehlman went on to say that while AG Paxton’s work on this in Texas is good, the issue needs to be addressed nationally. He pointed out that “you have states like California and New York that basically have taken the position that they want people to come to the United States by whatever means.” They might not be as proactive as Ken Paxton.
President Trump has signed an executive order that would clarify that these children of foreign nationals aren’t eligible for birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment. It is currently awaiting a final ruling from the United States Supreme Court.