Texas AG sues 'birth tourism' center advertised to Chinese nationals

On Wednesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against a Houston-area care center on allegations that it has been "unlawfully facilitating" an invasion of Chinese nationals into the state of Texas for the sole purpose of birthing children and obtaining birthright citizenship, also known as a "birth tourism" operation.

The lawsuit claims that the De-Ai Postpartum Care Center, known as the Center, has facilitated the birth of more than 1,000 American-born babies through an "illegal, dangerous, and dishonest" birth tourism operation in violation of the Texas Penal Code and the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The scheme has been occurring for nearly two decades, according to the complaint.

The Center predominantly advertises birth-related services to Chinese clients on popular Chinese social media platforms and websites, and coaches clients on how to circumvent immigration laws when pursuing visas and citizenship for themselves and their child. The coaching includes encouraging Chinese nationals to enter or reside in the United States unlawfully by concealing the fact that the primary purpose of such travel is to give birth.

The lawsuit states that the Center is seemingly aware of the alleged scheme, as it recently noted on its website that the US federal government is "strictly" policing birth tourism and recommended that women apply for visas "before pregnancy" in order to avoid detection.




Recent investigations revealed that the Center facilitates up to twenty births each day, operating across at least four properties in the greater Houston metro, according to the lawsuit.

"America is for Americans, not foreigners trying to cheat the system to claim citizenship," said Attorney General Paxton in a press release. "The Center's scheme not only facilitated an invasion of Texas, but it also involved shielding and facilitating violations of immigration law. Birthright citizenship is a scam that threatens national security, and I will do everything in my power to stop unlawful 'birth tourism' schemes like this one."

Attorney General Paxton, a candidate for the US Senate, is seeking injunctive relief to shut down the operation, as well as civil penalties. The Trump administration has made birthright citizenship a focus of its immigration enforcement policies, seeking a prohibition, which the president attempted to do through executive order, but will now be decided upon by SCOTUS.