Updated

Updated · POLITICO · Jul 8

Johnson Eyes House Vote on Birth Tourism Bill After Supreme Court Rebuff on Citizenship

Updated

Updated · POLITICO · Jul 8

Johnson Eyes House Vote on Birth Tourism Bill After Supreme Court Rebuff on Citizenship

Q: What new legislative strategy is being considered to address 'birth tourism' following a recent Supreme Court ruling?

A new strategy under discussion is to pursue legislation targeting the practice of “birth tourism” itself, rather than trying to end birthright citizenship outright after the Supreme Court reaffirmed it. In the House, Speaker Mike Johnson is weighing whether to bring such a bill to the floor. Related proposals described in the reporting include measures to deny visas or entry to foreign nationals whose main purpose is to give birth in the United States so their child acquires citizenship, while preserving exceptions for legitimate medical care. One of the more expansive ideas is the “BACK OFF Act,” which would make people involved in birth-tourism schemes inadmissible or deportable and create new penalties for organizers. Another is the “Ban Birth Tourism Act,” which would bar nonimmigrant visas when the primary purpose is giving birth in the U.S. A separate House proposal, the “Anchors Away Act,” goes further by seeking to narrow who qualifies for automatic citizenship, though that approach would face much steeper constitutional hurdles after the court’s ruling. So the core legislative strategy now being considered is a statutory crackdown on entry, visas, and enforcement tied to birth tourism, instead of relying on executive action to restrict birthright citizenship.

2 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jul 8

Mike Johnson is weighing a House floor vote on legislation that would bar pregnant women from legally entering the U.S. to secure citizenship for their children, according to four people familiar with private talks.
The possible vote is aimed at calming hard-line Republicans pressing for action on birthright citizenship after the Supreme Court ruled against Trump administration efforts to weaken it.
Johnson has not formally scheduled the measure, and the proposal surfaced as part of broader internal GOP pressure on House leaders to show movement on immigration and citizenship policy.
The court setback left congressional action as one of the few visible avenues for Republicans seeking to keep the issue alive, even as any bill would face steep hurdles beyond the House.