Will Donald Trump end the Chinese boom in US birthright citizenship?
- Agencies flooded with calls from the public seeking advice after US president says he plans to end the system through executive order
China’s booming business of helping the rich gain US citizenship by giving birth in the United States could suffer a major setback with President Donald Trump’s plans to target birthright citizenship.
According to American news site Axios, Trump has said he plans to sign an executive order that would remove the right to citizenship for babies of non-citizens and unauthorised immigrants born on US soil.
Industry insiders said that thousands of Chinese women travel to the US each year to give birth and that agencies had been flooded with calls from the public seeking advice.
While lawyers disputed that such unilateral action by the president could eliminate a right guaranteed by the US constitution, some agents reassured potential clients that the policy would at least remain unchanged for a couple of years. Others reported growing interest in services in Canada, which also grants birthright citizenship.
Mifubaby, a Beijing-based agent offering services for pre- and post-maternity services in Los Angeles and Saipan, said it was not easy to amend the US constitution so there was little need to worry now.
It was like an earthquake … We got a lot of requests for advice and many who planned to go to the US are considering Canada