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US to Impose Visa Restrictions for Pregnant Women

Associated Press

   The Trump administration is unveiling new visa restrictions aimed at
   restricting "birth tourism," in which women travel to the U.S. to give
   birth so their children can have a coveted U.S. passport.

   The State Department plans to publicize the rules Thursday, according
   to two officials with knowledge of the plans who spoke to the AP on
   condition of anonymity. The rules would make it more difficult for
   pregnant women to travel on a tourist visa. In one draft of the
   regulations, they would have to clear an additional hurdle before
   obtaining the visa -- convincing a consular officer they have another
   legitimate reason to come to the U.S.

   The Trump administration has been restricting all forms of immigration,
   but the president has been particularly plagued by the issue of
   birthright citizenship -- anyone born in the U.S. is considered a
   citizen, under the Constitution. He has railed against the practice and
   threatened to end it, but scholars and members of his administration
   have said it's not so easy to do.

   Regulating tourist visas for pregnant women is one way to get at the
   issue, but it raises questions about how officers would determine
   whether a woman is pregnant to begin with, and whether a woman could
   get turned away by border officers who suspect she may be just by
   looking at her.

   Counselor officers right now aren't told to ask during visa interviews
   whether a woman is pregnant or intends to become so. But they would
   have to determine whether a visa applicant would be coming to the U.S.
   primarily to give birth.

   Lucrative business

   Birth tourism is a lucrative business in both the U.S. and abroad.
   American companies take out advertisements and charge up to $80,000 to
   facilitate the practice, offering hotel rooms and medical care. Many of
   the women travel from Russia and China to give birth in the U.S. The
   U.S. has been cracking down on the practice since before Trump took
   office.

   Although there are scattered cases of authorities arresting operators
   of birth tourism agencies for visa fraud or tax evasion, coming to the
   U.S. to give birth is fundamentally legal. And women are often honest
   about their intentions when applying for visas and even show signed
   contracts with doctors and hospitals.

   There are no figures on how many foreign women travel to the U.S.
   specifically to give birth. The Center for Immigration Studies, a group
   that advocates for stricter immigration laws, estimated that in 2012,
   about 36,000 foreign-born women gave birth in the U.S., then left the
   country.

   The draft rule is "intended to address the national security and law
   enforcement risks associated with birth tourism, including criminal
   activity associated with the birth tourism industry,'' a State
   Department spokesperson said.