Abbott Orders Investigation Into Texas Hospital for Advertising Birth Tourism

Texas Governor Greg Abbott is launching an investigation into a hospital facility that has allegedly helped facilitate “birth tourism.”In a letter to the executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Stephanie Muth, Mr. Abbott ordered an investigation into the Mission Regional Medical Center over its advertising of “BIRTH PACKAGES IN SOUTH TEXAS” in “foreign countries.” The ads allegedly encourage foreign nationals to travel to America to give birth so their children can receive citizenship. Mr. Abbott said, “Birth tourism is an illegal practice that exploits the extraordinary hospitality that the United States and Texas offer to millions of foreign travelers each year.”“Unfortunately, thousands of foreign travelers come to the United States under false pretenses to give birth and secure citizenship for their children,” the governor added. “American citizenship is not for sale and Texas will not permit our healthcare system to be used as a magnet for birth tourism.”Birth tourism was a key part of President Trump’s argument to curtail birthright citizenship. Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the effort to prevent children born to illegal immigrants or parents who were in the country temporarily from automatically receiving citizenship.In April, a former Congresswoman, Mayra Flores, shared pictures of an ad from the Mission Regional Medical Center, which she said was displayed at Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico.The billboard, which was written in Spanish, offered birth packages that started at $3,950 for a natural birth and $5,525 for a cesarean birth. A social media post from the birth center read, “Are you pregnant, living abroad, and looking to welcome your baby in South Texas? Look no further!”In a statement, the Mission Regional Medical Center responded to the investigation, saying, “Like hospitals across the country and throughout the region, we share information about the healthcare services we provide. We do not support or facilitate any unlawful activity and work to comply with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations.”“The marketing materials regarding maternity services are no longer in use due to any unintended misunderstanding. We intend to work cooperatively and transparently with local and state officials,” the center added. The center’s “Have My Baby in Texas” Spanish-language website, which provided contact information for the center and details about birth packages, has been taken down, but is still available at the Internet Archive. Mr. Abbott said that any violations would be referred to the Texas attorney general and local prosecutors but did not specify any specific state crimes the medical group may have violated.The investigation comes as Republicans are exploring ways to limit birth tourism in light of the Supreme Court’s decision. House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that Congressional Republicans are “looking at all angles” to produce a “legislative fix, and the Justice Department said it would prioritize the prosecution of individuals accused of coming to America for birth tourism. A think tank that promotes less immigration, the Center for Immigration Studies, estimated in a February 2025 report that roughly 70,000 births in 2023 could be attributed to foreign visitors. But a group that favors immigration, the Migration Policy Institute, said in an April 2026 report that the number of births attributed to birth tourism is much lower, around 26,000 annually.

Abbott Orders Investigation Into Texas Hospital for Advertising Birth Tourism

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