Gill Opens Hearing on Protecting American Citizenship by Confronting Birth Tourism

WASHINGTON—Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuses Brandon Gill (R-Texas) delivered opening remarks at today’s hearing on “Protecting American Citizenship: Confronting Birth Tourism.” In his opening statement, Task Force Chairman Gill emphasized the extensive nature of the birth tourism industry and how thousands of foreign citizens have exploited the United States’ immigration system to give their children American citizenship simply by having them be born here. He also raised serious concerns over national security threats posed by citizens of China who were born in the U.S. but have no allegiance to the country. 

Below are Task Force Chairman Gill’s opening remarks as delivered:

Good morning and welcome to this hearing on the harms of birth tourism in the United States. 

American citizenship is the glue which binds our republic together. 

Being a citizen of the United States of America represents full legal membership in the great American experiment. 

But the concept of Birthright Citizenship is being exploited by foreign nationals, including those from adversarial nations like the People’s Republic of China and Russia. 

Decades ago, even Democrat leaders such as Harry Reid believed that the children of illegal aliens and temporary visitors should not be granted automatic citizenship. 

Since then, the view of the Democrat party has radically changed.

Now, through misguided policies and exploitation of our immigration laws through fraud and other criminal activity, our country has become a hub of birth tourism.

Thousands of foreigners travel to all parts of the country—to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, to El Paso, to Miami—for the sole purpose of giving birth in the United States to obtain U.S. citizenship for their child. 

There are few reliable statistics available on the annual numbers of birth tourists, but the little we do know is alarming.

The Center for Immigration Studies estimated in 2020 that the annual number of birth tourists could be as high as 20,000 to 26,000 a year.  

This abuse of our laws and our Constitution does not benefit the American people.  

There are serious risks and consequences to birth tourism.
 

Between 750,000 to 1.5 million Chinese nationals living outside the U.S. may have acquired American citizenship simply by being born here. 

These are children, who may have no connection or allegiance to the United States of America, and who have been raised under the control of the Chinese Communist Party.

When they grow up, like any other citizen, they will be eligible for government service, election to public office, voting in American elections, social service benefits, and the ability to extend immigration benefits and a path to citizenship to their parents, spouses, and other family members.
 

Birth tourism has created a for-profit industry that abuses our nation’s immigration laws.

The birth tourism industry consists of a complex underground network of fraud involving visa manipulation, maternity-hotels, and sometimes unpaid medical bills, which place burdens on American taxpayers. 

Thankfully, Republicans and the Trump Administration are working to expose and address the birth tourism problem through proposed legislation and executive action. 

We must protect, strengthen and uphold the dignity and value of American citizenship, and protect our country from foreign efforts to subvert what it means to be an American.