Foreign women race to give birth ahead of US citizenship ban

(CLO) President Donald Trump's decree has caused many Chinese women and women from other countries in the US to seek to give birth early to ensure citizenship for their children.

The order, signed by Mr. Trump on his first day back in the White House, requires agencies to deny citizenship to children born in the United States after February 19 if their parents are not U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents.

The order has been challenged in court by more than 20 states, and is now being blocked by federal judges, leaving the legal status of children born during this period in doubt.

Illustration: Unsplash

It is unclear how many children are born each year through “birth tourism,” but the U.S. State Department estimates the number to be in the thousands, while the Center for Immigration Studies puts the figure at around 20,000.

Many Chinese parents are worried about entering the U.S. while pregnant and about getting a passport for their child, said Yan, a 40-year-old consultant in Beijing. He manages a chat group with more than 370 members who plan to go to the U.S. to give birth.

According to Yan, at least five families he knows flew to the US before January 20 to avoid the risk of being denied entry after Mr. Trump took office. Some mothers chose to have cesarean sections to ensure their babies were born before the February 19 deadline.

Yan said birthright citizenship is the quickest and cheapest way to get a U.S. passport. He and his wife came to the U.S. to give birth last year.

"It would be much more expensive if you came to the US as a student and then applied for a green card, and that might not even work out even if you spent a lot of money," Yan said.

Since 2020, the US State Department has announced that it will deny tourist visas to anyone suspected of intending to come to the US to give birth. Amid the uncertainty, some foreign couples are considering Canada as an alternative.

Ngoc Anh (according to SCMP, NBC)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/phu-nu-nuoc-ngoai-chay-dua-sinh-con-truoc-lenh-cam-quyen-cong-dan-cua-my-post337710.html