The White House is seeking to curb travel to the United States for the purpose of giving birth and obtaining citizenship for children, while the DOJ accuses 11 people of operating a separate marriage-fraud network for a decade.

President Donald Trump opened a new front in the so-called “birth tourism” debate with measures targeting people who, according to his administration, enter the United States deceptively with the intention of giving birth and obtaining U.S. citizenship for their children.

  • Why it matters: The Trump immigration crackdown coincides with another alleged abuse of the immigration system: a federal investigation accuses 11 people of arranging more than 1,000 sham marriages to obtain immigration status.

Trump Targets Birth Tourism

A new executive order seeks to limit birthright citizenship in cases involving mothers who, according to the government, entered the country expressly and deceptively to participate in commercial birth tourism practices, Axios reported.

Another order directs the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security to issue rules and guidance to combat the industry inside and outside the United States.

  • The key fact: U.S. law already allows authorities to deny a tourist visa when the primary purpose of the trip is to give birth in order to obtain U.S. citizenship for a child.

These actions are part of Trump’s effort to restrict birthright citizenship after the Supreme Court rejected a broader executive order signed at the beginning of his administration on June 30.

A Network Allegedly Arranged More Than 1,000 Sham Marriages

On a separate front, the Department of Justice announced charges against 11 people accused of operating a nationwide and international sham-marriage network from at least 2016 through July 2026.

According to the indictment, the organization primarily connected Chinese nationals with Americans to submit fraudulent permanent-residency applications.

  • In numbers: Some foreign nationals allegedly paid up to $100,000 per marriage, while U.S. citizens received as much as $30,000 and recruiters up to $5,000 per participant.

The DOJ says hundreds of Americans were recruited and that the network may have generated tens of millions of dollars.

Participants allegedly arranged weddings, photographs, and joint financial accounts. They also allegedly filed tax returns and purchased insurance to make the relationships appear legitimate.

Birthright Citizenship and Green Cards Are Different Processes

Trump Intensifies Immigration Crackdown: Birth Tourism and 1,000 Sham Marriages Under Scrutiny
Trump Intensifies Immigration Crackdown: Birth Tourism and 1,000 Sham Marriages Under Scrutiny – Photo Shutterstock

Although both cases are part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, they are not part of the same investigation and involve different immigration mechanisms.

Birth tourism concerns the citizenship a child could receive by being born in the United States. The sham-marriage case, by contrast, involves applications for permanent residency, or a Green Card.

  • The difference: The DOJ accuses the marriage network of submitting hundreds of fraudulent applications to USCIS, while the new measures targeting birth tourism focus on access to birthright citizenship.

The 11 defendants face charges of conspiracy to commit marriage and immigration fraud, as well as conspiracy to encourage unlawful residence.

An indictment contains allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The Immigration Crackdown Gains Momentum Before November

The two fronts demonstrate how the Trump administration is expanding its strategy against what it considers abuses of the immigration system.

  • What comes next: The measures concerning citizenship could face additional legal challenges, while the sham-marriage case will continue through federal courts.

The Trump immigration crackdown comes ahead of the November elections, once again placing immigration among the issues likely to shape the political debate in the coming months.

Taken together, the new measures targeting birth tourism and the case involving more than 1,000 allegedly fraudulent marriages represent two different approaches to the same political priority: tightening controls against potential abuses of the immigration system.

While restrictions on birthright citizenship could face additional legal disputes, the DOJ’s investigation into the alleged marriage-fraud network will continue through the courts as Trump once again places immigration at the center of the debate ahead of the November elections.

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SOURCE: The New York Post / Axios / Justice.gov / WhiteHouse.gov