Because the prior transition to Idiocracy went smoothly too.
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How deeply does one bow in Hong Kong when you basically say: you’re not just fat, you’re a liar?
Like wow, just wow. So much lost face.
(Or is that mostly a Japanese concept?)
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Because the cheapest way to buy a US citizenship is to be born here. Despite everything going on in the world a US Passport is a very valuable thing, especially for people in countries that are not so well off. My wife is an OB/GYN at a large public hospital in Minnesota and it was from her that I first learned this is a thing. She occasionally has patients from sub-saharan Africa who come here expressly to give birth. It’s brilliant on their part.
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Well if he can’t stop it, he can at least make money out of it. The Russian activity, anyway.
“Concerned”, as in “perpetuating another scary sounding myth which is completely false.”
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If we suppose that there are people who would come to the US in order to give birth here so that the baby becomes a US citizen, then what are the effects of doing this? Do these children grow up in the country the woman came from and just have dual citizenship? And if so what harm does this cause anyone? I could see a potential benefit to the child, but I fail to see the potential harm to the United States.
Potential benefits to the child meaning they would have an easier time moving to the US if they wanted to do so in the future and also having emigration to the US as a backup plan in case there were problems in their home country.
I am a US citizen and I wish I had dual citizenship in another country in the event our political situation becomes untenable as it increasingly does or if I were to become a climate refugee which I think everyone is vulnerable to.
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They have to to file US income tax.
I think a lot of people underestimate how hard it is to emigrate into the United States legally. It’s not a matter of filling out forms and paying a fee and done.
I had a friend who married a lovely woman from Australia; they had known each other for years online. He had a messy divorce; she had a messy break up; and well; these things happen. 
Their original plan was to live in the United States, because he was established here. As the end of her tourist visa came up, she had to get out of the country; and who can blame him for following his new bride? Two years on, he’s a permanent resident of Australia and well on the way to being an Aussie citizen; she can’t even step foot in the USA except on a vacation visa.
Getting that citizenship for your child by birthing them on US soil eliminates the entire immigration process. They have the full rights of any citizen. They don’t have to give any notice or file any paperwork or anything, they just fly in, rent an apartment, and find a job. Register to vote, get a driver’s license. No visa limitations, no stay limits, no worrying about ICE, nothing. Can’t be deported.
See, this is the thing; if someone is here organically when they are born (ie., parents are undocumented immigrants, their mom is on vacation and unexpectedly gives birth early, parents are here on work visas or are permanent residents) that is completely great and something I whole heartedly support, even if they don’t grow up here.
But it feels really, really unfair for the people who weren’t born here that someone can get USA citizenship by their mom scamming it for them by coming in on a tourist visa while she’s pregnant and arranging to give birth here, then fly home. But I don’t know how to make it fair.
A lot of countries don’t have citizenship by soil birthright; for historical reasons the USA does. A lot of countries require at least one citizen parent for a child to have citizenship, even if they are born in the country.
Here’s why that is a problem: say a country who has this policy has a “guest worker” policy too. So someone moves to the country with their wife; and as couples are wont to do, they have a child. The child isn’t a citizen because neither parent is a citizen. The child grows up, and has a perm res status, and marries someone else in the same situation. Their child isn’t a citizen either. You get an entire underclass of people who have strong ties to the country, have lived there their entire lives; but have no hope of ever being a “real citizen” who can do things like vote.
Given the two options, I guess birth tourism isn’t that bad…
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To whom is it unfair that some people are born here, acquire citizenship thereby, and might, in the future, move here and live here as citizens? They would then be subject to the same taxation and regulations any citizen is.
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I’m still waiting for someone to cite numbers on how many “tourist babies” actually come back to live in the country. Those concerned about birth tourism seem to never have any.
I’ll agree that having a number of tourists pop in to use the hospital can strain available resources, but that’s not really what they’re concerned about. And I doubt their fears are actually borne out by actual reality.
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how does one get from sub saharan africs to the mini apple?
i assume they’re not taking direct flights, so that means they’re probably requesting asylym at some other port of entry (eg jfk)
it’s legal to request asylum. framing doing so as manipulative or an abuse of the system isn’t accurate imo. of course someone pregnant would want to escape a despot or other dangerous situation
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People engaging in “birth tourism” enter the country legally on tourist visas. There’s no asylum or any sort of lying involved. These are people who are wealthy enough in their own country to be able to obtain a tourist visa.
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Then why are we discussing their behavior?
The people complaining about birth tourism do not seem the type to be concerned that global elites pillage countries then flee without consequence.
And it’s probably easier to get a visa to an EU country if you’re just looking for a decent passport, especially since it’s countries like France that have colonial ties.
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punish everyone more harshly /s
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The effect is that the baby is a US citizen. That’s it.
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EU countries don’t automatically give citizenship to people who are born there.
For example, a child born in France to foreign parents has to live in France for 5 years in order to get French citizenship.
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And their evil plan worked…
This is why Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson renounced his dual US/UK citizenship. He didn’t think rules like that should apply to people like him.
“It’s absolutely outrageous,” he said of the amount. “Why should I?”
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The airlines are responsible for returning passengers if they are are denied entry by the US (or most countries) . That is why they check to see whether you have your passport before you board an international flight.
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