Gov. Greg Abbott is taking aim at what he calls birthright tourism in Texas with a new executive order to investigate and eliminate unlawful birth tourism schemes.
The move puts any licensed healthcare provider that facilitates such schemes in the crosshairs by ordering the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, the Department of State Health Services, the HHSC Office of Inspector General, the Texas Medical Board, the Texas Board of Nursing and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation to investigate claims of birth tourism schemes within the Texas healthcare industry.
“Texas will not tolerate the exploitation of our immigration laws by individuals traveling to the United States illegally or under false pretenses to give birth and secure citizenship for their child,” Abbott said during the announcement on Tuesday, July 21. “This executive order directs state agencies to investigate birth tourism schemes and hold accountable any provider that facilitates this fraud. U.S. citizenship is not for sale, and Texas will put a stop to individuals seeking to profit from birth tourism.”
Enforcement actions include revoking or suspending licenses, prohibiting participation in state contracts, denying state benefits, or pursuing other enforcement actions under state law.
Currently, no state or federal agency tracks the exact number of birthright tourism cases in Texas.
In April 2026, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the De’ai Postpartum Care Center in Houston. State investigators alleged the illicit network operated across four suburban properties, coordinating visas and charging families to facilitate up to 20 births per day to bypass federal immigration laws.
More recently, Governor Greg Abbott ordered an investigation in July into Mission Regional Medical Center in South Texas after the facility purchased billboards in Mexico advertising Spanish-language “Birth Packages” starting at $3,950.
The promotional packages allegedly targeted pregnant foreign nationals specifically seeking automatic American citizenship for their newborns.
State agencies may also partner with federal prosecutors to identify and combat birth tourism schemes in Texas’ healthcare industry, including by sharing information and referring potential violations of federal law.
Gina Hinojosa slams Abbott immigration crackdown
Democratic Texas governor candidate Gina Hinojosa has decried the immigration crackdown in the state while not directly commenting on birthright tourism.
Hinojosa demanded transparency in the immigration enforcement policy in Texas by the Trump administration following the shooting death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston. She has called for the release of the body-camera footage from the incident to ensure transparency. Her request came amid Houston Mayor John Whitmire announcing the city would not investigate the shooting.
She voted against state-level immigration enforcement measures like Senate Bill 4, which was signed into law by Abbott in 2023. SB4 represents an unprecedented expansion of state power into immigration enforcement — a domain historically reserved exclusively for the federal government.
Hinojosa has also criticized the redirection of billions of state taxpayer dollars to fund border-wall construction and Operation Lone Star while advocating for immigration solutions that emphasize humanitarian resources, local community support and constitutional protections.
Important dates for 2026 Texas election
The last day to register to vote for the General Election is Oct. 5, either online, by mail, or in person.
Early voting starts Oct. 19 and runs through Oct. 30. The absentee ballot request deadline is Oct. 23 for mail requests or Oct. 19 for in-person requests. The absentee ballot return deadline is Nov. 3, by mail or in person on Election Day.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Kristian Jaime is the Top Story Reporter for the El Paso Times and is reachable at Kjaime@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Gov. Abbott, Hinojosa on immigration enforcement in governor race
Reporting by Kristian Jaime, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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By Kristian Jaime, El Paso Times | USA TODAY Network
