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The president’s government Donald Trump will announce new visa restrictions on Thursday to curb “maternity tourism” in which women travel to the United States to give birth so that their babies have the coveted U.S. passport.
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When the consular authorities consider that a visa applicant will come to the United States with the objective that her baby is born similar treatment will be given to any foreign person who comes to be treated medically, according to a directive transmitted on Wednesday by the State Department and known for The Associated Press. Applicants will have to show that they are coming for medical treatment and have money to pay for it.
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The State Department plans to release the new provisions on Thursday, Two officials told the AP that they requested anonymity. The provisions take effect Friday.
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The arrival of women to the United States to give birth is a legal practice in essence, although there are cases of arrest of operators of childbirth tourism agencies accused of visa fraud or tax evasion. Women are often honest about their intentions when they apply for a visa and even show contracts signed with doctors and hospitals.
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Trump’s government has restricted immigration in all its forms, but there is one that greatly irritates the president: according to the Constitution, every person born in the United States is a citizen. Trump has ranted against that practice and threatened to put an end to it, but scholars on the subject and government officials say it is not easy.
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Regulating tourist visas for pregnant women is a way of addressing the problem, but raises questions about how the official determines if the woman is pregnant or if a border agent can deny a woman’s entry if she suspects just by looking at her that a baby is waiting.
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For the moment consular officials do not have to ask during a visa interview if a woman is pregnant or if she intends to get pregnant, but they must determine if the applicant will travel to the United States primarily to give birth.
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The so-called maternity tourism is a profitable business in the United States and abroad. American companies advertise and charge up to $ 80,000 for services that include hotel and medical care. Many Russian and Chinese women travel to the United States to give birth. The country has been fighting that practice since before Trump arrived at the White House.
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There are no figures on how many foreigners travel to the United States to have their baby. The Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for stricter immigration laws, estimates that In 2012, some 36,000 foreigners gave birth in the country and then left.
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The new provisions are intended to “address the risks to national security and police associated with maternity tourism, including criminal activity associated with the maternity tourism industry,” said a spokesman for the State Department.
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