GUWAHATI: US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at ending “birth tourism” in the United States, directing officials to take action against foreign nationals who enter the country on non-immigrant visas for the purpose of giving birth.
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Under the order, authorities may prevent the entry of people seeking to engage in birth tourism, deny visas or travel authorisations, revoke existing visas and permanently bar entry in certain cases. Foreign nationals who previously engaged in birth tourism could also face denial of entry or removal from the US.
The order defines birth tourism as entering the US on a non-immigrant visa specifically to give birth on American soil or facilitating such entry.
The move is part of two executive orders signed by Trump on August 6. The other order seeks to identify certain categories of children of foreign nationals who, under the administration's interpretation of historically recognised exceptions, would not be entitled to birthright citizenship.
The administration said the measures are intended to protect the value of US citizenship and prevent the misuse of the country's visa and immigration system.