Chinese pregnant women traveling to the United States to give birth and secure citizenship for their children, a practice known as birth tourism, has been occurring for many years. According to author Peter Schweizer, this practice has recently intensified, with some Chinese elites systematically using it to obtain American citizenship for up to 1.5 million babies.
This organized approach involves coordinated efforts to facilitate births on U.S. soil, allowing children to automatically acquire citizenship under current laws. Authorities have raised concerns about the scale and implications of this trend.
**Why this matters**
The increase in birth tourism raises questions about the effectiveness and fairness of U.S. citizenship laws. It also highlights potential challenges in immigration enforcement and national security, as well as the social and economic impacts of granting citizenship through birthright to children of foreign nationals who may have limited ties to the United States.