Three “birth tourism” agencies secured citizenship for more than 8,500 babies born to foreign nationals, primarily from China, and profited at least $7 million in the process, federal prosecutors say.
A total of 20 individuals were arrested by federal authorities on Thursday after being accused of operating “birth tourism” businesses which essentially sold birthright American citizenship to pregnant Chinese women looking to permanently stay in the United States.
Chinese and American entrepreneurs are using a visa loophole in border regulations to sell the hugely valuable prize of U.S. citizenship to hundreds of Chinese people.
Immigration fraudster Jason Shiao was sentenced on Monday to two years in federal prison for posing as an attorney as part of a fraud scheme to match at least 87 foreign nationals, mostly citizens of China, seeking legal permanent resident status through arranged, fraudulent marriages to U.S. citizens.
Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA), the first Chinese-American woman elected to Congress, slammed GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush Tuesday for defending his use of the term “anchor baby” by arguing that the term “is more related to Asian people.”
The Center for Immigration Studies estimates there could be as many as 36,000 births a year to foreign mothers manipulating America’s citizenship laws by visiting the United States just to deliver a child who will then be a U.S. citizen.
After having been busted for a scheme to have U.S. citizen babies here, Chinese women are fighting to stay in the country despite allegedly committing visa fraud.ving been busted for the practice, they are fighting to stay in the country despite allegedly committing visa fraud.
Pregnant Chinese nationals have reportedly been coming to the United States for decades in order to give birth and claim U.S. citizenship for their children. Many newly-rich Chinese have done so not only to secure the benefits and protections that come with U.S. citizenship, but also, according to court documents and media reports, as a show of wealth and status.
Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) has introduced a measure that would end birthright citizenship. He added it as an amendment to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, a bipartisan bill currently under consideration in the Senate.
Pregnant women from China discovered in California “Chinese birthing houses” could likely still give birth in the U.S. during the course of a massive investigation into multiple “maternity tourism” schemes. “Birth tourism” operations bring pregnant women into the U.S. for the purpose of giving birth on U.S. soil, giving their babies U.S. citizenship.
Tuesday Federal Agents forced entry into twenty Southern California locations believed to be orchestrating “maternity tourism” scams for pregnant alien women aiming to gain U.S. citizenship for their soon to be born child.
