American officials warn Nigerian women against birth tourism: 'This is not permitted'

The U.S. Mission to Nigeria has shared a stark warning about "birth tourism" to those who might be planning trips to America primarily for this reason.

Hashtags #VisaWiseTravelSmart and #USVisa were included in the post.

Birth tourism refers to foreign nationals traveling to another country and giving birth there so that their newborn children can obtain citizenship in that country.

Section one of the Fourteenth Amendment automatically grants citizenship to all persons born in the United States.

"A consular officer shall deny a B nonimmigrant visa to an alien [whom] he or she has reason to believe intends to travel for this primary purpose," the rule reads.

The report estimates that birth tourists spend anywhere from $7,000 to $100,000 to obtain citizenship for their newborn children.

A study published in the Journal of Women's Health looked at maternal and neonatal outcomes for reproductive travelers in Chicago.

Researchers found that 88% of those seeking care were Nigerian.  

It is estimated that in 2020, at least 33,000 births occurred among women who were on tourist visas, according to the Center for Immigrant Studies. 

Under the president's Executive Order 14160, automatic citizenship for children of people in the U.S. illegally would end.