Abbott orders birth tourism crackdown

United States — Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order on July 22, 2026, directing multiple state agencies to investigate and crack down on unlawful birth tourism schemes. The order targets hospitals and healthcare providers that advertise childbirth services to foreign nationals, particularly from Mexico, to secure U.S. citizenship for their children. This follows a July 7 directive to the United States — Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to investigate such practices, which led to referrals of Mission Regional Medical Center and Knapp Medical Center to the United States — Texas Attorney General. The order expands the probe to include the United States — Texas Health and Human Services Commission, United States — Texas Health and Human Services Commission Office of Inspector General, United States — Texas Medical Board, United States — Texas Board of Nursing, and United States — Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Potential penalties include license revocations, suspension from state contracts, and denial of state benefits. The action comes after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in late June that the 14th Amendment citizenship clause applies to children born in the U.S. to mothers who entered illegally, which Abbott argued would facilitate birth tourism.