March 29, 2024

Chinese women arrive as pregnant tourists, leave with American babies

California officials have closed a makeshift ward for Chinese “maternity tourists” who had paid tens of thousands of dollars to deliver their babies in the US, making their babies automatic American citizens. About 10 women and their babies were sent to nearby motels.
Chinese

California officials have closed a makeshift ward for Chinese “maternity tourists” who had paid tens of thousands of dollars to deliver their babies in the US, making their babies automatic American citizens. About 10 women and their babies were sent to nearby motels.

For the past year, there have been calls for an end to the 14th Amendment, which gives automatic citizenship to any baby born in the US. Much of the debate has focused on immigrants entering the country illegally from poor Latin American countries. In this case, however, the women were both relatively wealthy and in the US legally on tourist visas.

Immigration experts say it is impossible to know precisely how widespread “maternity tourism” is. Businesses in China, South Korea and Mexico advertise packages that organise doctors, insurance and postpartum care. The practice has mainly involved individuals. The discovery of this house in California suggests that maternity tourism may be entering a more institutionalised phase with more hospital-like establishments across the US.

Angela Marie Kelley, of the Center for American Progress, said maternity tourism may not be a significant problem. “If this is something that was really widespread and happening all over, you would have expected it to really have revealed itself,” Ms. Kelley said. “I think it deserves a lot more study and a lot more attention. But to say that you want to change the Constitution because of this feels like killing a fly with an Uzi.” ~ New York Times, Mar 29


Chinese women arrive as pregnant tourists, leave with American babies
Jared Yee
maternity tourism
US