The Department of State on Wednesday announced the existence of a task force that has already revoked hundreds of visas from foreign nationals accused of exploiting U.S. immigration laws.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio drew attention to the issue of visa abuse on X.
“Elaborate birth tourism rings are profiting off the exploitation of America’s laws—coaching foreigners to defraud the U.S. visa system, arranging travel and housing, and even forging documents, all to enable foreign nationals to obtain citizenship for their children,” he said.
The activity of visa holders worldwide is under review. According to a fact sheet, the department stands ready to revoke the visas of individuals suspected of engaging in or facilitating birth tourism. The goal is to dismantle any networks involved in such abuses and hold them accountable.
Using State Department information and data from other federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, the task force has revoked more than 600 visas in one month.
The federal government and consular officers at U.S. embassies and consulates around the world have reported widespread examples of deception in visa applications, according to the State Department.
It noted a foreign couple who twice lied on visa applications—claiming a conference and a vacation—then gave birth to two children on U.S. soil on separate occasions.
The couple’s visas were revoked.
Spotlight on Citizenship Rules
In one of the most consequential opinions of the Supreme Court’s 2025–2026 term, the justices ruled 6–3 to strike down Trump’s executive order that aimed at excluding children of illegal immigrants and temporary visa holders from obtaining U.S. citizenship at birth.“A child born on American soil and subject to American law was made an American citizen,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion.
“This miscarriage of justice will destroy America if they don’t change their absolutely insane decision,” the president said at the time.
Trump’s two new executive orders, signed Aug. 6, attempt to limit birthright citizenship by banning birth tourism and expanding the definition of people considered ineligible for birthright citizenship, according to Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller.