“To combat birth tourism and safeguard the integrity of United States citizenship, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section establishes a new federal crime of trafficking covered aliens into the United States with the intent to obtain US citizenship for their child through birth on US soil. It imposes fines and imprisonment of up to 15 years, or up to 30 years when the offense involves an organized enterprise of three or more persons and three or more aliens, plus criminal and civil forfeiture. The section applies extraterritorial jurisdiction when the offender is a US national, is present in the United States, or the offense occurs in or is intended to produce citizenship through birth in the United States. A covered alien is any alien other than a lawful permanent resident.
This section makes inadmissible any alien whom a consular officer or the Secretary of Homeland Security determines has sought or is seeking U.S. admission to obtain citizenship for a child through birth in the United States. It also treats conviction of, or admission to, related fraud offenses under 18 U.S.C. 1430 or 1546 as prima facie evidence that the person lacked good moral character at naturalization, requiring revocation of citizenship and cancellation of the certificate effective as of the original date.
This section establishes the American Citizenship Integrity Interagency Task Force within 180 days of enactment, co-chaired by the Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security with members from ICE, FBI, CBP, USCIS, EOIR, and State Department consular affairs. The Task Force coordinates identification, investigation, prosecution, and denaturalization of organized fraud schemes to acquire United States citizenship for a child; issues guidance to consular, CBP, and USCIS officers on fraud indicators; coordinates with foreign governments; and submits annual reports to the House and Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees containing specified data on birthright citizenship cases, inadmissibility findings under INA section 212(a)(11), prosecutions under 18 U.S.C. 1430 and 1546, denaturalization proceedings under INA section 340(d), and policy recommendations.
This section requires the Attorney General to appoint an assistant United States attorney in each judicial district to coordinate and supervise investigations or prosecutions under 18 U.S.C. 1430, investigations or prosecutions under 18 U.S.C. 1546 involving false claims related to 8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(11), and denaturalization proceedings under 8 U.S.C. 1451(d). The Attorney General must complete these appointments within 180 days of enactment.
This section provides severability for the Act, ensuring that if any provision or its application to any person or circumstance is held unconstitutional or invalid, the remainder of the Act and its application to other persons or circumstances remain in effect.