An immigration attorney is advising Mexican mothers with U.S.-citizen children to temporarily avoid crossing into the United States amid heightened enforcement targeting so-called “birth tourism” and reports of tourist visas being revoked at the border.
Immigration attorney Arturo Vázquez recommended that mothers who previously gave birth in the United States wait at least two months before attempting to cross the border, according to El Diario de Juárez.
“My suggestion is that they not cross for a couple of months until the waters calm down,” Vázquez said, adding that he does not believe fathers traveling without their children would necessarily face the same scrutiny.
The warning follows executive actions signed by President Donald Trump on Aug. 6 targeting “birth tourism,” the practice of traveling to the United States primarily to give birth so a child acquires U.S. citizenship. The administration’s actions call for increased scrutiny of visas and entry into the country connected to the practice. (KSAT)
The State Department has restricted the issuance of visitor visas for birth tourism since 2020. The Trump administration’s latest actions, however, have renewed concerns that travelers who previously used tourist visas to give birth in the United States could face additional scrutiny or possible visa revocation. (House Oversight Committee)
El Diario reported that at least two recent cases involving Juárez residents have resulted in visas being revoked.
In one case, authorities reportedly revoked the tourist visa of a Juárez woman who traveled to El Paso about a year ago to give birth.
A second incident reportedly occurred early Saturday, Aug. 8, at the Bridge of the Americas, commonly known in Juárez as the “Puente Libre.” A mother and father traveling with their three U.S.-citizen children, ages 5, 6 and 10, and a cousin were stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at about 3 a.m., according to a relative quoted by El Diario.
The relative said the parents were taken inside the port of entry and separated from their children. The cousin remained with the children and the family’s vehicle.
The relative said the parents were questioned separately and their tourist visas were revoked. The relative also said the family had no outstanding hospital bills or adverse immigration record and had not received U.S. government benefits.
The relative said the family decided to publicize its experience to warn others who could encounter similar circumstances.
Vázquez said decisions involving admission and potential visa consequences ultimately depend on the circumstances of individual cases and the determinations made by U.S. authorities.
The developments come as the Trump administration expands its broader effort against birth tourism. The State Department said Monday that it has revoked more than 175,000 visas during Trump’s second term for a variety of reasons and specifically cited more than 100 visa revocations involving people it identified as birth-tourism participants in North Africa. (New York Post)
The administration’s broader attempts to restrict birthright citizenship have also generated substantial legal challenges. A previous Trump executive order addressing citizenship for children born to certain noncitizen parents was blocked in federal court. (House Oversight Committee)
The Juárez cases highlight a separate issue: Even when a child is a U.S. citizen, a parent’s tourist visa and admissibility remain subject to U.S. immigration law and review by federal authorities at ports of entry.
Source reporting: El Diario de Juárez.
