Texas cracks down on ‘birth tourism’

Texas Gov. Greg Abbot is taking aim at “birth tourism,” though it represents a relatively small share of births in the U.S. Birth tourism refers to foreign national traveling to the U.S. on temporary visas to give birth so their children can receive U.S. citizenship. Abbot has directed state regulators to investigate alleged birth tourism packages at Mission Regional Medical Center in the Rio Grande Valley region. Abbot says “thousands of foreign travelers come to the Unites States under false pretenses to give birth and secure citizenship for their children.” A spokesperson for the hospital system that runs Mission Regional, Prime Healthcare, says the medical center doesn’t “support or facilitate any unlawful activity,” according to Texas TV station KRGV.