Attorney General Ken Paxton has opened an investigation into two South Texas hospitals over advertising that his office says may have promoted unlawful “birth tourism,” the agency announced July 29.
According to the news release, the inquiry follows Spanish-language billboards posted near the U.S.-Mexico border that advertised childbirth services to expectant mothers in Mexico. The attorney general’s office said the review is part of a broader, statewide investigation into potentially unlawful birth tourism schemes.
The office identified Mission Regional Medical Center as promoting “Birth Packages in South Texas” and directing prospective patients to a website, havemybabyinTEXAS.com. Knapp Medical Center in Weslaco was also named as potentially involved, the release said.
Paxton said his office would pursue any operation suspected of facilitating the practice. “My office will investigate any suspected illegal birth tourism schemes in Texas, including the operations of two South Texas hospitals that appeared to advertise birth tourism on a billboard near the border,” he said in the statement. “My office will continue to hold accountable any entity that knowingly facilitates fraud in our state.”
The release noted that the investigation builds on earlier action. In April, according to the office, Paxton sued De’Ai Postpartum Care Center, a Houston-area operation the state accused of coaching Chinese nationals to deceive federal immigration officials and obtain birthright citizenship. That case remains ongoing, the release said.
The attorney general’s office did not announce any findings or charges against the hospitals, describing the matter as an open investigation.