In an attempt to check the number of people securing The United States citizenship through childbirth, the Donald Trump administration said woman seeking to put to bed in the US will now be subjected to stringent visa application like every other applicant.
It is commonplace among Nigerian women of middle and upper class to travel to the US to give birth, with their reason being the need to secure dual citizenship for their wards.
But in a statement released by the office of the press secretary, the Trump administration said it would no longer issue visas to foreigners who want to give birth in the country.
According to the statement, the rule take effect from Friday, January 24.
The White House press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, said the rule change was necessary to enhance public safety and the integrity of the immigration system.
“Beginning January 24, 2020, the State Department will no longer issue temporary visitor (B-1/B-2) visas to aliens seeking to enter the United States for “birth tourism” – the practice of travelling to the United States to secure automatic and permanent American citizenship for their children by giving birth on American soil,” the statement read.
“The birth tourism industry threatens to overburden valuable hospital resources and is rifled with criminal activity, as reflected in federal prosecutions”
Grisham said the new rule would tackle pervasive abuses and thwart and security risk the practice posed to the US
“Closing this glaring immigration loophole will combat these endemic abuses and ultimately protect the United States from the national security risks created by this practice.
“It will also defend American taxpayers from having their hard-earned dollars siphoned away to finance the direct and downstream costs associated with birth tourism.
“The integrity of American citizenship must be protected.”