Hageman urges Trump to tighten rules on foreign-sponsored surrogacy and birth tourism
Rep. Harriet Hageman wrote to President Trump urging stronger actions to block foreign nationals from using U.S. surrogacy services to obtain citizenship for their children.
Representative Harriet Hageman sent a letter to the White House urging President Donald Trump to expand measures against the so-called "rent-a-womb" industry that lets foreign citizens secure U.S. citizenship for children born via surrogacy on American soil. While applauding Trump’s August 6 executive order that bars citizenship for children of designated foreign terrorist organization members, Hageman warned that the order and recent DOJ actions are insufficient to stop exploitation of the system.
She highlighted the case of surrogate Kyla Simpson, whose Chinese clients failed to collect the newborns, underscoring the need for federal intervention. Hageman proposed that the administration instruct the State Department and USCIS to refuse visas and permanently bar entry for individuals who commission or retrieve children through U.S. surrogacy programs. Additionally, she called for sanctions against fertility clinics and agencies, naming firms such as Surrogate First and Creative Family Connections, and criticized professional groups for lacking oversight.
Why it matters
The proposal targets a loophole that could allow foreign actors to obtain U.S. citizenship for children, raising security and immigration concerns.
In this story
