TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on Jul 7, 2026

Following the U.S. Supreme Court's June 27 decision upholding birthright citizenship, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, has introduced the "Ban Birth Tourism Act," which would bar foreign nationals from obtaining nonimmigrant visas primarily to give birth in the U.S. for citizenship purposes. The Tennessean reports that Blackburn's office cited an estimate that 33,000 children are born annually to mothers on tourist visas, framing the practice as exploitation of U.S. immigration law by wealthy foreign nationals. The bill carves out an exception for legitimate medical care and does not specify how officials would determine an applicant's "primary purpose." The proposal follows President Donald Trump's call for Congress to act after the Supreme Court's ruling and a U.S. House bill introduced by Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Columbia. The "Anchors Away Act" would redefine birthright citizenship eligibility itself, granting automatic citizenship only to children with at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident or active-duty service member.