Caricom Nationals are being warned against ‘birth tourism’ (file photo)
By Shermain Bique-Charles
[email protected]
The United States Embassy in Barbados has issued a stern warning to nationals from Antigua and Barbuda, as well as other Caribbean nations, regarding the misuse of tourist visas to give birth in the U.S. and obtain citizenship for their children.
This advisory is part of a larger crackdown on birth tourism, which U.S. immigration authorities classify as a misuse of the B-1/B-2 visa category.
According to the embassy, tourists applying for visas who are suspected of planning to give birth during their visit to the United States will be denied entry, in line with federal visa policy updates from 2020.
This measure aims to preserve the integrity of U.S. immigration laws and curb the exploitation of the birthright citizenship provisions under the Fourteenth Amendment.
The advisory emphasizes that using a B-1/B-2 tourist visa primarily to give birth is considered a misuse of the visa and will not be tolerated.
Consular officials are instructed to deny applications where there is reasonable belief the main purpose of travel is to give birth in the U.S. for the purpose of securing citizenship for the newborn.
While birth tourism has been a long-standing practice, the recent notice from the U.S. Embassy seeks to deter further attempts to exploit the country’s birthright citizenship principle.
The Fourteenth Amendment guarantees that any child born on U.S. soil automatically receives U.S. citizenship, which has attracted thousands of foreign mothers each year.
Legal sources indicate that around thirty-three thousand babies are born annually in the U.S. to mothers who entered the country as tourists.
This figure does not include births from women arriving on temporary visas or without proper documentation, suggesting the actual number is significantly higher. Such trends have raised serious concerns among U.S. lawmakers regarding national security and immigration implications.
What can I say rules are rules
The advisory was issued to the nationals of ALL Caribbean countries. Why single out Antigua and Barbuda???
You guys are really idle. Nothing else to do in the devil’s workshop?
Totally agree with you Faithful Naational #1
Because it’s not about we the ppl, it’s about the corrupted GOONS of DEMOCRACY that’s has been running in both parties in the Caribbean.
They the ones that’s been performing the scams, especially scamming ppl with the VISA narrative.
For more than 20 yrs I’ve been telling ppl here, why would I fall for an obvious scam, paying for VISA to go to America when I’m already in the America’s. That, very soon, the VISA scam will end and will be exposed to be a scam and that’s exactly what happened.
The same ppl that called me crazy, now all silent.
Remember when the GOVERNMENT GOONS admitted multiple times that they were literally Giving away PASSPORTS claiming it to be an “Investment program”? Because It was about scamming the public and now their time is up.
Their downfall started since UPP members dropped out.
While the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees birthright citizenship, the abuse of tourist visas to achieve this undermines the spirit of U.S. immigration law.
Many mothers seeking better opportunities for their children may not see this as abuse, but as desperation driven by socio-economic conditions at home.
Think Trump playing? The clamping down on everything right now
Not playing at all. America First, America First, America first. The time of benefitting off the US is over and done and dusted.
I hope this will stop these women from doing this. So many go to the US while pregnant just to have a child and leave a heavy bill on the hospital . Trump is ensuring this stops and he is right
Obviously its about yall AGENTS of DEMOCRACY that’s been scamming the People for yall COLONIZER GOONS. We the ppl are American Nationals, Indigenous and Sovereign to the lands. We are in the West, the BRITISH is the East. What does the BRITISH have to do with us?
Yall only pissed cuz yall hate Trump which means yall hate the Republic which proves yall are DEMOCRATS. Yall helped the enemy use and abuse the ppl.
Now time to pay the piper