Watchdog Unveils Multipoint Plan to Curb Birth Tourism After Supreme Court Upholds Birthright Citizenship
The Oversight Project, a conservative watchdog group, released a multipoint action plan targeting birth tourism and calling for accelerated deportations after the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to affirm birthright citizenship as enshrined in federal law. The plan, shared with Fox News Digital, was framed around a legal premise its authors say the ruling left intact: that U.S.-born citizenship for children of undocumented parents does not confer legal status on those parents.
Key takeaways
- The Oversight Project, a conservative watchdog group, released a multipoint plan targeting birth tourism and calling for accelerated deportations after the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to affirm birthright citizenship.
- The group's plan argues that U.S.-born citizenship for children of undocumented parents does not grant legal status to the parents themselves.
- The plan calls for worksite enforcement at farms and factories, stationing ICE agents at certain hospitals, suspending visas for countries identified as major birth-tourism sources (with China cited as the primary concern), and using congressional reconciliation to impose a 'tax'
- The White House said President Trump remains 'totally committed' to protecting natural-born citizenship and directed Congress to act, while DHS said it disagrees with the ruling and also called on Congress to act.
- DHS reported that more than 3 million undocumented individuals have left the U.S. under the current administration, including an estimated 2.2 million self-deportations, with more than 948,000 deportations and 981,000 arrests as of June 24.
The Oversight Project, a conservative watchdog group, released a multipoint action plan targeting birth tourism and calling for accelerated deportations after the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to affirm birthright citizenship as enshrined in federal law. The plan, shared with Fox News Digital, was framed around a legal premise its authors say the ruling left intact: that U.S.-born citizenship for children of undocumented parents does not confer legal status on those parents.
Oversight Project's Proposal
Mike Howell, an attorney and president of the Oversight Project, outlined the group's "Keeping Families Together Plan," arguing the court's decision makes aggressive enforcement more urgent, not less. Howell called for worksite enforcement at farms and factories as a priority over targeted sanctuary-city operations, saying labor-concentrated sites offer the greatest deportation yield. He also proposed stationing ICE agents at certain hospitals to deter pregnant foreign nationals from giving birth on U.S. soil.
The plan recommends suspending visas for countries the group identifies as major sources of birth tourism, with China cited as the primary concern. Howell pointed to what he described as surrogacy arrangements involving wealthy Chinese nationals producing U.S.-citizen children — a practice reports from outlets including Fortune have also described.
On legislative strategy, Howell proposed that Congress use reconciliation to impose penalties on birth tourists, structured as a "tax" — a direct echo of Chief Justice John Roberts' 2012 reasoning in NFIB v. Sebelius that upheld the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate. The Oversight Project's plan argues such a mechanism would survive constitutional scrutiny for the same reason.
White House and Congressional Response
The White House said President Trump remains "totally committed" to protecting the value of natural-born citizenship and has directed Congress to take immediate action following the ruling. Spokesperson Abigail Jackson said the Justice Department will prioritize birth-tourism schemes. A DHS spokesperson separately said the agency disagrees with the ruling and called on Congress to act.
DHS said more than 3 million undocumented individuals have left the United States under the current administration, including an estimated 2.2 million self-deportations. As of June 24, the agency reported more than 948,000 deportations and more than 981,000 arrests.
Three Republican lawmakers — Rep. Andy Ogles IV of Tennessee, Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri, and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky — have introduced constitutional amendment proposals to overturn the ruling. Observers described those efforts as politically untenable in the near term.
Howell on Enforcement Gaps
Despite the administration's stated mass-deportation agenda, Howell acknowledged the numbers have not matched the stated goals, citing pressure from business interests seeking to preserve their workforces and public backlash following agent-involved incidents in Minneapolis. He said funding from what he called the "Big, Beautiful Bill" should be deployed quickly to close that gap, and urged the administration to move through the end of the congressional term without concern for political blowback.