Mexican families who previously had children born in the United States are being urged to keep medical and financial records as U.S. officials increase scrutiny of travelers suspected of birth tourism.
Mexican parents who have had children born in the United States are being advised to keep documentation showing how they paid medical expenses related to the birth, as the Trump administration intensifies scrutiny of travelers suspected of entering the country primarily to give birth.
Immigration and international-law attorney Josefina Orozco told ZETA that people who gave birth in the United States should retain hospital receipts, insurance records, payment agreements and other documents showing that they had the financial means to cover their medical care.
The advice follows two executive orders signed by President Donald Trump on August 6, 2026, concerning birth tourism and birthright citizenship.
What the new policy does
The order titled Ending Birth Tourism directs the State Department and Department of Homeland Security to develop measures aimed at preventing people from using nonimmigrant visas to enter the United States primarily to give birth so that their children obtain U.S. citizenship.
Possible consequences include visa denial or revocation, denial of entry, removal from the United States and, in some circumstances, a permanent bar from returning.
However, having a child in the United States does not by itself prove that someone engaged in birth tourism. The key issue is whether giving birth was the primary purpose of the trip and whether the traveler complied with the terms of the visa.
The State Department already considers birth tourism an impermissible purpose for a visitor visa.
Orozco said travelers who did not pay their childbirth expenses should consider postponing unnecessary trips to the United States while the new policy is being implemented. She noted that Customs and Border Protection officers have discretion at ports of entry and may refer travelers to secondary inspection if they have concerns about the purpose of a trip or information provided by the traveler.
How visa cancellations can happen
A visa can be revoked administratively by the State Department, or a traveler can face consequences after being questioned by CBP at a border crossing or airport.
If officers believe a traveler has concealed information or misrepresented the purpose of a trip, the person can be referred for additional inspection and potentially face immigration consequences.
Orozco said immigration attorneys and consultants have seen roughly twice as many inquiries about the issue. Some families who previously arranged and paid for childbirth in the United States, including through insurance or hospital agreements, are reassessing whether the benefits of their U.S. visas and programs such as SENTRI or Global Entry outweigh the potential risks.
The State Department has also reported actual visa revocations involving alleged birth-tourism schemes, although publicly available information does not establish a wave of such cancellations involving Mexican travelers or California.
What about unpaid medical bills?
Orozco estimated that childbirth in the United States can cost approximately $5,000 to $10,000, depending on the type of delivery and other medical circumstances.
She recommends keeping proof that medical expenses were paid or that the family had arrangements to cover them.
However, an unpaid private hospital bill does not automatically make someone a public charge. Current State Department guidance focuses on specific government benefits and a person’s financial circumstances. The immigration analysis can be different when someone seeks medical treatment in the United States without sufficient funds to pay for it.
For that reason, families should not assume that simply paying a hospital bill guarantees that immigration officials will view a trip as legitimate. The purpose of the trip and the information provided to U.S. officials remain important.
Has California seen fewer births?
There is no evidence so far that California’s overall birth numbers have declined because of the new birth-tourism policy.
According to the latest final federal data, California recorded 402,075 births to California residents in 2024, compared with 400,108 in 2023, an increase of about 0.5%.
California’s Department of Public Health maintains detailed birth statistics, including the mother’s country of birth and the location of the birth. However, those records do not establish whether a woman traveled to the United States specifically to give birth.
California’s Department of Finance has also described births as broadly stable in its latest population estimates.
Nationally, estimates of birth tourism vary significantly. Federal-data-based estimates cited by NPR put births to foreign residents at fewer than 10,000 in 2024, while the Center for Immigration Studies estimated approximately 70,000 births to temporary visitors in 2023. The differing estimates reflect different methodologies and definitions.
Sheinbaum: Practice is limited
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said August 17 that she does not have statistics showing how many Mexicans travel to the United States specifically to have children there.
She characterized the practice as very limited rather than widespread and noted that the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the constitutional principle of birthright citizenship, while the Trump administration is pursuing other mechanisms to address birth tourism.
For Mexican families who previously had a child in the United States, immigration attorneys recommend keeping complete medical and financial records and answering U.S. immigration officials truthfully.
The key point is that having a U.S.-born child is not, by itself, evidence of birth tourism. The central questions are the purpose of the trip, what the traveler disclosed to U.S. authorities and whether the person complied with the terms of the visa.
