Texas officials are cracking down on ‘illegal birth tourism.’ Here’s what that means.

In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott is cracking down on what he calls illegal birth tourism. Per The 19th, the state's health agency is investigating two Rio Grande Valley hospitals after they advertised birth packages in Latin America, apparently targeting foreign nationals hoping to give birth in the U.S. so their children would become citizens. While giving birth on U.S. soil as a foreign national is not itself illegal, visa fraud — misrepresenting travel intentions to enter the country — can be. Abbott says Texas won't tolerate hospitals profiting off such arrangements, and the state's enforcement efforts have focused on healthcare providers rather than the mothers themselves.

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