Federal prosecutors directed to prioritize ‘birth tourism’ after Supreme Court birthright citizenship ruling

The Justice Department on Tuesday directed its staff to bring fraud charges in alleged cases of birth tourism as a response to their loss in the birthright citizenship ruling from the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

In the wake of the 6-3 ruling, a memo from the Justice Department’s office of the deputy attorney general said all criminal division staff should “prioritize the investigation and prosecution of birth tourism schemes.”

“The Department of Justice will zealously protect the sanctity of United States citizenship by investigating and prosecuting those who fraudulently exploit our immigration system,” Colin McDonald, head of the Justice Department’s fraud division, wrote in the memo. 

Birth tourism is already illegal, though McDonald’s memo tells prosecutors to consider using other statutes to prosecute........

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