ICE agents took a break from ignoring illegal immigrants pouring over the Southern Border yesterday and went after “maternity tourism” schemes in California.
Federal agents raided about 20 Southern California locations on Tuesday suspected of involvement in “maternity tourism” schemes offering travel and lodging services to pregnant foreign women seeking to give birth in the United States, U.S. immigration officials said.
Authorities say the so-called maternity hotels targeted in the sweep catered largely to women from China who paid $15,000 to $50,000, depending on services provided, in hopes of obtaining U.S. citizenship for their children.
The locations searched included apartment complexes and other sites in Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties that were suspected of housing foreign clients, according to a statement issued by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, or ICE.
Agents made no arrests but simply sought evidence related to such possible criminal offenses as visa and tax fraud, money laundering and conspiracy.
Why no arrests? Because birth tourism is legal for the most part.
Based on the results of previous investigations, the women who subscribe apparently pay cash for pre-natal medical treatment and actual delivery of their babies.
As part of the package, clients were promised they would receive Social Security numbers and U.S. passports for their infants – documentation the mothers would take with them when they returned to their home countries, ICE said.
Once the children, who by birth are U.S. citizens, reach adulthood they can apply for visas for family members living abroad.
