Supreme Court birthright citizenship case focuses on birth tourism
cnbc.com • • general
Key Points:
- During Supreme Court arguments, Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued that birth tourism—where foreign nationals give birth in the U.S. to secure citizenship for their children—is evidence that birthright citizenship should end.
- Sauer highlighted companies, especially serving Chinese and Russian elites, that facilitate entry to the U.S. for the purpose of obtaining citizenship for babies born on American soil.
- He cited reports of up to 500 birth tourism companies in China and congressional letters estimating as many as 1.5 million Chinese nationals may have gained U.S. citizenship this way, though official U.S. data on birth tourism is lacking.
- Estimates from immigration-reduction advocates suggest 20,000 to 26,000 babies are born annually to birth tourists, and conservative sources warn these citizens might later return to vote or sponsor residency for their parents.
- In 2025, a couple was convicted of conspiracy and money laundering related to a birth tourism business, underscoring legal risks associated with such operations.
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