Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced a lawsuit targeting a Houston-area “birth tourism” center, escalating a broader political and legal fight over foreign nationals traveling to secure U.S. citizenship for their children.
Paxton said on Wednesday that his office has sued De’Ai Postpartum Care Center, alleging the Houston-area operation unlawfully facilitated Chinese nationals coming to Texas “for the sole purpose of giving birth” and obtaining citizenship for their U.S.-born children. The lawsuit seeks to shut down the operation, pursue civil penalties, and recover attorneys’ fees, according to a press release from the attorney general’s office.
The announcement comes as Paxton campaigns in a Republican primary challenge against U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, who also recently moved to spotlight birth tourism concerns. Cornyn was among a group of senators who sent an April 22 letter to federal officials raising alarms about a visa policy in the Northern Mariana Islands that they said could facilitate Chinese birth tourism, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Paxton framed the lawsuit in terms of national security and immigration. In a social media post on April 29, Paxton wrote, “BREAKING: I’m suing a Houston-area ‘birth tourism’ center for exploiting birthright citizenship by unlawfully facilitating the invasion of Chinese nationals into Texas for the sole purpose of giving birth.”
BREAKING: I'm suing a Houston-area "birth tourism" center for exploiting birthright citizenship by unlawfully facilitating the invasion of Chinese nationals into Texas for the sole purpose of giving birth. pic.twitter.com/7gbr2VjgGV
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) April 29, 2026
The attorney general’s office alleged the center operated for nearly two decades and claimed responsibility for “1,000+ American-born babies.” The lawsuit alleges the business marketed services to Chinese clients, coached women on visa procedures, and concealed the true purpose of travel in ways Paxton claims violated Texas law, including laws related to deceptive trade practices, governmental records, and harboring violations.
Paxton’s office also alleges the operation used multiple properties in the Houston area and facilitated up to 20 births per day. These allegations have not been independently verified.
The move places Paxton’s action in the middle of a wider debate over birth tourism, a practice that has drawn increasing scrutiny at both the state and federal levels. That scrutiny recently intensified around the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, where more than 70% of newborns in Saipan reportedly had Chinese birth tourist parents, according to a New York Post report.
Meanwhile, in the mainland United States, around 9% of U.S. births in 2023 were to mothers who were either in the country illegally or held temporary legal status, The Dallas Express reported, citing Pew Data.
That reporting has fueled concerns among some lawmakers that visa loopholes could be exploited beyond the mainland. Paxton’s lawsuit appears to bring these concerns directly into Texas, where authorities are targeting a domestic business accused of facilitating the practice.
The lawsuit arrives amid broader legal and political disputes over the scope of birthright citizenship itself. During recent Supreme Court arguments involving constitutional questions tied to citizenship, Solicitor General John Sauer said no fewer than 500 companies have marketed U.S. birth packages to foreign clients, according to prior DX reporting.
Paxton’s filing does not change federal citizenship law, but it signals a more aggressive state-level attempt to challenge businesses alleged to facilitate the practice. Representatives for De’Ai Postpartum Care Center could not be reached immediately by DX for comment.
