US revoked 600 visas last month in crackdown on birth tourism: Rubio

The US has revoked more than 600 visas from foreign nationals in the last month as part of a major offensive against 'birth tourism', Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday.

The visa revocations followed a review conducted by the Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force, which the State Department recently set up to review visa holder activity, dismantle illegal birth tourism networks, and end this heinous abuse of US laws.

'In just one month, the Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force has taken action to revoke more than 600 visas from foreign nationals across the globe and will continue to safeguard our nation from this abuse,' Rubio said on X.

The crackdown follows an August 6 executive order issued by US President Donald Trump.

"American citizenship is not for sale," Rubio said.

"But elaborate birth tourism rings are profiting off the exploitation of America's laws- coaching foreigners to defraud the US visa system, arranging travel and housing, and even forging documents, all to enable foreign nationals to obtain citizenship for their children," he said.

"The State Department will use all available tools to dismantle birth tourism networks and defend the integrity of US citizenship," Rubio said.

According to the State Department, the Task Force addresses the abuse of the US visa system by analysing and connecting information held across the Department and other federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security.

Due to the Task Force's coordination, the Department of State is addressing birth tourism on a global scale, examining travel histories of individuals from all around the world to end this exploitation and abuse, an official statement said.

The State Department generally revokes visas when there are indications of a potential ineligibility, it said.

The Secretary of State has broad discretionary authority to revoke visas -- and the Trump Administration is committed to exercising that authority to protect the American people and the integrity of our immigration system, the statement said.  -- PTI