{"id":6148,"date":"2026-07-01T22:02:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T22:02:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6148"},"modified":"2026-07-01T22:02:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T22:02:01","slug":"justice-department-orders-prosecutors-to-focus-on-birth-tourism-cases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6148","title":{"rendered":"Justice department orders prosecutors to focus on \u2018birth tourism\u2019 cases"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n article<\/span><\/div>

The seal of the Department of Justice (DOJ) during a news conference about safeguarding unaccompanied immigrant children at the Department of Justice headquarters on June 11, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Al Drago\/Getty Images) <\/span> <\/p>

Read more Firefighters save newborn after emergency birth in flood control tunnel<\/a><\/p> <\/div><\/div> <\/div>

The Justice Department has ordered federal prosecutors to prioritize “birth tourism” cases, signaling a quiet demur to the Supreme Court\u2019s decision.<\/p>

What we know:<\/p>

In guidance circulated this week, DOJ leadership told U.S. attorneys to work closely with immigration and pursue investigations into companies accused of coaching foreign nationals to hide their intentions when applying for U.S. travel visas.\u00a0<\/p>

<\/div>

A Justice Department official told employees that people who come to the United States under “false pretenses” just to give birth and give citizenship for their child could be charged criminally.\u00a0<\/p>

What they’re saying:<\/p>

McDonald wrote a memo to employees: “The Department of Justice will zealously protect the sanctity of \u200bUnited States citizenship by investigating and prosecuting those who fraudulently exploit our immigration system.”\u00a0<\/p>

Read more Texas diocese calls nun\u2019s detainment by ICE \u2018wildly disturbing\u2019<\/a><\/p>

Birthright citizenship<\/h2>

The backstory:<\/p>

Just hours before the memo, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Trump executive order that sought out to end birthright citizenship.\u00a0<\/p>

Birthright citizenship is the longstanding legal principle of the United States that “all persons born or naturalized on the United States soil automatically become U.S. citizens, regardless if their parents are U.S. citizens.\u00a0<\/p>

The issue has become the subject of legal and political debate recently, with many arguing the Constitution permits limiting birthright citizenship for children of certain non-citizens.\u00a0<\/p>

Read more Former Tomball ISD Tax employee charged with wire fraud, accused of taking almost $1 million from district<\/a><\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p> <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Justice Department has ordered federal prosecutors to prioritize \u201cbirth tourism\u201d cases, signaling a quiet demur to the Supreme Court\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6146,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[205,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-supreme-court","category-u-s"],"yoast_head":"\nJustice department orders prosecutors to focus on \u2018birth tourism\u2019 cases - Houston Moving Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6148\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Justice department orders prosecutors to focus on \u2018birth tourism\u2019 cases - Houston Moving Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Justice Department has ordered federal prosecutors to prioritize \u201cbirth tourism\u201d cases, signaling a quiet demur to the Supreme Court\u2019s decision.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6148\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Houston Moving Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-01T22:02:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/11db2134457bb32fa3f113b4fac78059.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"764\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"432\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?p=6148#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?p=6148\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e51740aab7bd577378c5f91b003a39ba\"},\"headline\":\"Justice department orders prosecutors to focus on \u2018birth tourism\u2019 cases\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-01T22:02:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?p=6148\"},\"wordCount\":302,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?p=6148#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/a212dfe1109b46a1e1bf1e2fe8c647e6.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Supreme Court\",\"U.S.\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?p=6148#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?p=6148\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?p=6148\",\"name\":\"Justice department orders prosecutors to focus on \u2018birth tourism\u2019 cases - Houston Moving Journal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?p=6148#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?p=6148#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/a212dfe1109b46a1e1bf1e2fe8c647e6.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-01T22:02:01+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e51740aab7bd577378c5f91b003a39ba\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?p=6148#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?p=6148\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?p=6148#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/a212dfe1109b46a1e1bf1e2fe8c647e6.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/a212dfe1109b46a1e1bf1e2fe8c647e6.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?p=6148#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Justice department orders prosecutors to focus on \u2018birth tourism\u2019 cases\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Houston Moving Journal\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e51740aab7bd577378c5f91b003a39ba\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Justice department orders prosecutors to focus on \u2018birth tourism\u2019 cases - Houston Moving Journal","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6148","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Justice department orders prosecutors to focus on \u2018birth tourism\u2019 cases - Houston Moving Journal","og_description":"The Justice Department has ordered federal prosecutors to prioritize \u201cbirth tourism\u201d cases, signaling a quiet demur to the Supreme Court\u2019s decision.","og_url":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6148","og_site_name":"Houston Moving Journal","article_published_time":"2026-07-01T22:02:01+00:00","og_image":[{"width":764,"height":432,"url":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/11db2134457bb32fa3f113b4fac78059.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6148#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6148"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e51740aab7bd577378c5f91b003a39ba"},"headline":"Justice department orders prosecutors to focus on \u2018birth tourism\u2019 cases","datePublished":"2026-07-01T22:02:01+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6148"},"wordCount":302,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6148#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/a212dfe1109b46a1e1bf1e2fe8c647e6.webp","articleSection":["Supreme Court","U.S."],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6148#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6148","url":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6148","name":"Justice department orders prosecutors to focus on \u2018birth tourism\u2019 cases - Houston Moving Journal","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6148#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6148#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/a212dfe1109b46a1e1bf1e2fe8c647e6.webp","datePublished":"2026-07-01T22:02:01+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e51740aab7bd577378c5f91b003a39ba"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6148#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6148"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6148#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/a212dfe1109b46a1e1bf1e2fe8c647e6.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/a212dfe1109b46a1e1bf1e2fe8c647e6.webp","width":1200,"height":630},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6148#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Justice department orders prosecutors to focus on \u2018birth tourism\u2019 cases"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/","name":"Houston Moving Journal","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e51740aab7bd577378c5f91b003a39ba","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com"],"url":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6148"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6148\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}