Will Greg Abbott succeed where the Supreme Court refused to tread? Donald Trump tried to redefine birthright citizenship to prevent "birth tourism." The Texas governor aims to shut down its market.
Mission Regional Medical Center in Mission, Texas, located a few miles from a major Border Patrol center in McAllen, had an interesting business plan in the middle of a national debate over birthright citizenship. The health-care facility had bought billboard space around the nearby border that advertised cash packages (in both English and Spanish) for maternity services, looking very much like an attempt to tap into the birth-tourism market. They even bought the domain name HaveMyBayInTexas.com to woo customers, clearly not aimed at people who live legally in Texas.
Fox & Friends picked up the story this morning:
DELIVERY DEAL? Governor Greg Abbott has ordered a state investigation into a South Texas hospital over an alleged “birth tourism” operation that marketed flat-rate maternity services to foreign nationals.
— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) July 8, 2026
The facility’s bilingual billboards and… pic.twitter.com/yuHtrawsUf
The facility’s bilingual billboards and website—http://HaveMyBabyInTexas.com—promoted “birth packages” up to $5,525 before being abruptly pulled following public backlash.
Abbott didn't take long to order an investigation into Mission Regional's new marketing strategy:
Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday directed the state’s health and human services commission to investigate whether a South Texas medical facility is advertising to attract international patients who want to give birth in the U.S.
“American citizenship is not for sale and Texas will not permit our healthcare system to be used as a magnet for birth tourism,” Abbott said in the letter addressed to Stephanie Muth, the executive commissioner of Texas Health and Human Services Commission. ...
The letter asks the commission to look into Mission Regional Medical Center in Mission, Texas, after reports surfaced on social media last week that the medical facility ran advertisements in Spanish showing how much it would cost to deliver a baby at the hospital.
The hospital hit reverse almost immediately, the Dallas Morning News reports:
Kathleen Avila, spokesperson for Mission Regional Medical Center, said in an email Tuesday that to eliminate any “unintended misunderstanding,” the advertising material is no longer being used. The hospital will cooperate with local and state officials, she added.
“Like hospitals across the country and throughout the region, we share information about the healthcare services we provide,” Avila said. “We do not support or facilitate any unlawful activity and work to comply with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations.”
Suuuuuure you don't, Ms. Avila. I'm sure that choosing "have your baby in Texas" as a domain name while buying billboards advertising cash packages for natal services at the border has nothing to do with illegal birth tourism. And I'm sure Joe Biden is still Sharp As a Tack™, too. Say, what's the going rate at Mission Regional for treatment of gaslighting, anyway?
Worth noting: Mission Regional has canceled the domain. It's now parked at Dot-Mom.org, along with a handy link to anyone who wants to buy it, "courtesy of GoDaddy.com." The domain service wants $99.99 for it, although they're willing to sell other top-level domain extensions for less money.
One has to wonder whether Mission Regional pioneered this marketing strategy or just made the mistake of making it too obvious. While Abbott investigates this hospital and considers the potential legal consequences, perhaps the state of Texas should take a closer look at operations at other maternity centers in the state. Promotional packages for natal services on a cash basis would be one obvious red flag, and I'd bet that Mission Regional isn't the only health clinic to offer those.
Meanwhile, efforts to halt birth tourism continue in Washington DC. Politico reports this morning that House Speaker Mike Johnson will put a bill on the floor to bar pregnant women from coming into the US with the intention to give birth. It likely won't pass in the Senate, but Johnson thinks it's worth making a statement:
Speaker Mike Johnson is exploring whether to put legislation on the House floor that would end the ability of pregnant women to enter the United States legally to gain citizenship for their children.
The possible vote, described by four people granted anonymity to share details of private conversations, would be a way for Johnson to appease hard-liners who are demanding a vote to end birthright citizenship after the Supreme Court ruled against Trump administration efforts to undermine it. ...
Several GOP centrists are open to Johnson’s latest idea, according to two other people with knowledge of the talks. But the dynamics are deeply tricky for Johnson, who must grapple with intraparty factions divided over the party’s approach to the immigration issue broadly.
A handful of moderate Republicans do not want to vote on immigration matters so close to the midterms, while a swath of Republicans in agriculture-heavy districts have warned Johnson he needs to address an overhaul of the visa process for seasonal immigrant farm workers as part of any immigration package that comes to the floor. But that would stoke major backlash from the far-right rank and file.
After the Supreme Court's decision in Trump v Barbara, this might be an easier sell. Congress may not be able to redefine birthright citizenship without amending the Constitution, but it can erect some statutory barriers within the process of birth tourism.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump, illegal immigration into our great country has virtually stopped. Despite the radical left's lies, new legislation wasn't needed to secure our border, just a new president.
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