Rubio says task force set up to address 'birth tourism' revoked 600 visas in one month

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday that a task force the State Department set up last month to address "birth tourism" managed to revoke more than 600 visas from foreign nationals. 

The task force, Rubio explained in a post on X, reviewed the activity of visa holders, dismantled illegal birth tourism networks, and put an end to "this heinous abuse of our nation's laws."

"Elaborate birth tourism rings are profiting off the exploitation of America's laws- coaching foreigners to defraud the U.S. visa system, arranging travel and housing, and even forging documents, all to enable foreign nationals to obtain citizenship for their children," Rubio said. 

The announcement follows President Donald Trump's signing of two executive orders Thursday that aim to restrict birthright citizenship and end the practice of “birth tourism," in hopes of circumventing a recent Supreme Court decision.

The Supreme Court in June struck down Trump's executive order directing federal agencies to interpret the 14th Amendment as not granting citizenship to the children of illegal migrants. 

“We had a very unfortunate decision in the Supreme Court concerning birthright,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “It was close, but a very, very unfortunate decision. So we’re making adjustments because it’s very unfair.”

The order restricting birthright citizenship expands the definition of what children born in the United States would be ineligible for automatic citizenship, including children of “alien enemies of the United States, members of foreign terrorist organizations and large categories of people who lobby and act on behalf of foreign governments.”