Head of birth tourism company 'Have My Baby in Miami' pleads the Fifth when grilled by Brandon Gill in Congress

Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) in a hearing on Tuesday grilled a man who runs a reported birth tourism operation in Miami, Florida. The owner of the business, which is called "Have My Baby in Miami," invoked his Fifth Amendment rights for every question proposed by the Republican lawmaker.

Dr. Wladimir Lorentz, who runs “Have My Baby in Miami,” which is a South Florida business aimed at helping foreign nationals give birth in the US, was subpoenaed to speak at the September 1 hearing. However, for each question presented, the doctor insisted on pleading the Fifth.

Gill asked him, “Is it true that your business Have My baby in Miami marketed itself to and facilitated the entry of foreign nationals seeking to come to the United States to give birth and obtain birthright citizenship for their children?”

Lorentz responded, “On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer the question on the grounds that a truthful answer may tend to incriminate me, and I invoke my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the United States.”

Gill then pulled printouts from the website to the business, which he said “suggests that [Lorentz was] in fact facilitating the entry of foreign nationals so that they could give birth and obtain citizenship for their children.”

“On the front page of it, the last line of the commentary states, ‘Now the dream of having a child in the United States is closer to reality than you ever imagined.’ Is this your website, Dr. Lorentz?”

The witness again stated in response: “On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer the question on the grounds that a truthful answer may tend to incriminate me, and I invoke my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the United States.”

He did so in similar fashion multiple other times as Gill talked about how the website had a “step-by-step guide preparing for the trip to the United States.” The website even had a section on “legal topics.”

Gill asked multiple other questions, including if the doctor had ever performed birthing tourism for members of the Chinese Communist Party or if he had “facilitated the childbirth in America for a member of Trende Aragua, MS-13, or any other narco-terrorist organization.”

For those and others, Lorentz pleaded the Fifth. Gill’s questioning during the hearing on birthing tourism comes as the Trump administration has been looking to crack down on the practice.

In August, the State Department established a task force specifically dedicated to the elimination of birthing tourism in the US. According to the Migration Policy Institute, there are around 25,000 people born in the US due to birthing tourism every year.