Birth tourism could soon carry a severe new consequence few would risk: 'Existential crisis'

FIRST ON FOX: A new House GOP bill would create new barriers to birth tourism in the United States after the Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship in a blow to President Donald Trump's agenda.

Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., is introducing legislation proposing criminal penalties for people residing outside the U.S. who travel to the country solely for the birth of their children. It would also make it a crime to misrepresent that purpose when entering the country.

Fine told Fox News Digital that the Supreme Court's ruling spurred his new bill.

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"What we need to do to work around this situation is make it extremely unpleasant for people to come to the United States to create an anchor baby," Fine said. "And to anyone who disrespects our nation that much that would come here in order to create a paperwork American, should go to prison and should never be able to come to America ever again."

The bill would not eliminate birthright citizenship. Instead, it would impose prison terms of 10 to 25 years on adults who are neither U.S. citizens nor lawful permanent residents and who travel to or facilitate travel to the United States for the purpose of giving birth.

A federal judge would also be required to issue an order of deportation against those parents which, in theory, would make it significantly harder for that child to stay within the country.

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"You may have a baby and that baby may be able to stay in America, but you won't. And I think what we need to do is make it as unappealing as possible to have a baby illegally in the United States in order to reduce the desire to do it," Fine said.

Fine said birthright citizenship rights created an "existential crisis" for the United States.

"We won't have a country if anyone who wants can show up here anytime and have a baby, which by the way, becomes effectively a ward of the state — because who do you think pays for everything associated with that illegal immigrant baby? You're saddling the American taxpayer with hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions of dollars of cost," he said.

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Birthright citizenship is guaranteed under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, a right the Supreme Court reaffirmed late last month. Supporters of the decision say birthright citizenship is a core tenet to the American ideal of equality and promoting assimilation into U.S. society.

But opponents have said that the right to be born an American inside the country's borders has been misused and abused both by people entering the U.S. illegally and wealthy foreigners seeking a foothold within the U.S.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll taken in June showed 55% of respondents were opposed to ending birthright citizenship, while 41% were in support.