Such arrangements enable foreign women to give birth in America, where their children typically gain US citizenship.
Congressional hearing: The House Oversight Committee task force will hold a hearing on September 1.
Focus: Lawmakers will investigate businesses marketing maternity packages to foreign women.
National security: China and Russia have been highlighted as particular areas of concern.
Subpoena issued: Dr Wladimir Lorentz has been ordered to testify.
Another witness: Dr Julio César Novoa has been invited to appear.
Citizenship law: The 14th Amendment provides the constitutional basis for birthright citizenship.
Legal position: Birth tourism itself is not a distinct federal criminal offence.
Related prosecutions: Authorities have pursued cases involving alleged fraud, false statements, tax violations and money laundering.
US Congressional Panel to Investigate Birth-Tourism Businesses
Washington: A US congressional panel is set to investigate businesses that market maternity services to foreign women travelling to the United States to give birth, with lawmakers citing concerns about immigration, national security and the use of American citizenship.
The hearing will examine how widespread birth-tourism arrangements are in the United States and how companies promote maternity packages to expectant mothers living overseas.
Birth tourism generally involves foreign women travelling to the US specifically to give birth. Under the US system, children born in the country generally acquire American citizenship, subject to the constitutional requirements of the 14th Amendment.
The committee said it wants to determine whether businesses are exploiting birthright citizenship and taking advantage of the US immigration system. Lawmakers also plan to examine what they describe as potential national security and sovereignty concerns.
“Birth tourism should appall every American citizen,” Gill said, arguing that the practice undermines the value of citizenship and the rule of law.
Gill has expressed particular concern about women travelling from countries viewed by Washington as strategic competitors or adversaries, including China and Russia. He said the task force would question companies that profit from these arrangements and consider whether Congress should take further action.
However, the committee’s announcement did not provide figures showing how many women travel to the US each year for birth tourism or how many come from China and Russia.
As part of its investigation, the panel issued a subpoena on Wednesday to Dr Wladimir Lorentz, founder and chief medical officer of Miami Medical Concierge Services, which operates under the name Have My Baby in Miami.
The subpoena requires Lorentz to testify before the task force during the September 1 hearing in Washington.
The committee had previously contacted Lorentz on May 14 as part of an investigation into businesses allegedly profiting from birth-tourism arrangements. It requested documents and information about the company’s marketing and advertising practices, service agreements and medical-tourism packages.
Lawmakers also sent a separate letter to Dr Julio César Novoa, medical director and owner of International Maternity Services, requesting similar information about his company’s activities.
The committee’s announcement did not include responses from Lorentz, Novoa or their companies to the allegations or requests.
Dr Steven Camarota, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies, is also expected to appear as a witness.
For lawmakers, the issue goes beyond the business of providing medical services. The panel plans to examine how maternity-service companies operate and whether birth tourism raises broader questions about immigration policy, citizenship and national security.
The legal foundation for birthright citizenship comes from the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment. It states that people born or naturalised in the United States and subject to its jurisdiction are citizens of the United States and the state where they reside. The provision has supported birthright citizenship for more than 150 years.
Birth tourism itself is not a separate federal criminal offence. However, US authorities have prosecuted operators and customers in cases involving alleged visa fraud, false statements, tax violations and money laundering connected with commercial maternity arrangements.
For families involved, the issue can be deeply personal, while for lawmakers it has become part of a larger debate over the meaning of American citizenship and the country’s immigration system.