The United States Department of State has disclosed that a U.S. embassy in West Africa recently dismantled a birth tourism network involving more than 100 foreign nationals, as part of a broader global crackdown on visa fraud and abuse of the U.S. immigration system.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, June 10, the department said the operation uncovered a sophisticated scheme in which individuals allegedly used fraudulent documents and visa facilitators to obtain U.S. visitor visas for the purpose of giving birth in the United States.
According to the State Department, the network operated through so-called visa “fixers” who assisted applicants in securing travel documents and making arrangements aimed at obtaining U.S. citizenship for children born on American soil.
“A U.S. embassy in West Africa uncovered a sophisticated birth tourism network of more than 100 foreign nationals using fraudulent documents and visa ‘fixers’ to get themselves visas in order to get U.S. citizenship for their children. We shut it down, revoked these foreign nationals’ visas, and are coordinating with local authorities to systematically identify and cut off any similar operations,” the department stated.
The disclosure forms part of a wider effort by the U.S. government to combat birth tourism, a practice in which foreign nationals travel to the United States primarily to give birth so that their children acquire U.S. citizenship under the country’s birthright citizenship laws.
The department reiterated that obtaining a visitor visa for the primary purpose of giving birth in the United States violates visa regulations.
“No foreigner is permitted to obtain a visitor visa for the primary purpose of acquiring U.S. citizenship for a child by giving birth in the U.S.,” the State Department said.
U.S. authorities say the West African operation is one of several cases identified globally. In Europe, officials reported uncovering more than 400 suspected birth tourism cases since 2024, linked to at least six companies accused of coaching visa applicants, arranging accommodation and coordinating childbirth-related travel plans in the United States.
According to the department, visas connected to those cases were revoked and several individuals involved in facilitating the schemes were permanently barred from travelling to the United States.
The State Department also revealed that a U.S. embassy in North Africa revoked more than 100 visas issued to parents who had travelled to the United States primarily to give birth.
“Consular officers – working with law enforcement and using data analytics – identified several networks abusing the system and put a stop to it,” the statement said.
The department stressed that it would continue to target visa fraud and birth tourism operations worldwide, describing a U.S. visa as “a privilege, not a right.”
