House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is subpoenaing a Florida doctor at the center of an alleged birth tourism scheme as congressional Republicans intensify scrutiny on businesses that help foreigners give birth in the United States to secure automatic citizenship for their children.
The subpoena targets Dr. Wladimir Lorentz, founder and chief medical officer of Have My Baby in Miami, which operates out of South Florida. Comer sent the subpoena after Lorentz refused to voluntarily appear through his attorney, who cited an ongoing criminal probe by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida. The committee hearing is scheduled for Sept. 1.
The investigation falls under Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, whose task force on investigating institutional abuses within the House Oversight Committee has taken up birth tourism as its latest target. Birth tourism refers to foreign nationals traveling to the U.S. on temporary visas specifically to have children who automatically become American citizens under the 14th Amendment.
What the Right Is Saying
Gill, who chairs the oversight committee's task force, argues that birth tourism represents a growing industry exploiting American citizenship for foreign nationals who travel here specifically to give birth on U.S. soil. He points to national security concerns as a primary motivation for the investigation.
"A growing industry is openly marketing American citizenship to foreign nationals who travel here for the express purpose of giving birth on U.S. soil," Gill said in a statement. "This abuse of our immigration system also raises serious national security concerns, particularly given the number of birth tourists traveling from adversarial nations like China and Russia."
Comer's subpoena letter emphasized that Lorentz's testimony is vital to understanding marketing practices within the birth tourism industry. The committee has framed the investigation as necessary for informing legislative goals around immigration enforcement.
What the Left Is Saying
Democratic lawmakers and immigration advocates are expected to push back against Republican efforts to restrict birth tourism, arguing that birthright citizenship is protected by the Constitution and cannot be undone through legislation or executive action alone. They note that the Supreme Court has consistently upheld the 14th Amendment's guarantee of citizenship to those born on U.S. soil.
Critics also warn that targeting businesses like Have My Baby in Miami could disproportionately affect families from Asia and Latin America, raising questions about whether the effort is focused on legitimate national security concerns or amounts to discriminatory enforcement against legal immigrants. Immigration rights groups argue that using a business as a proxy to restrict citizenship pathways could set a precedent that undermines due process.
What the Numbers Show
Have My Baby in Miami reportedly claimed on its now-disabled website and social media pages that it helped facilitate 2,000 births, according to an October 2025 report by Local 10 in Miami. The company's YouTube page, which appeared active as of Thursday, offered guidance on how to deliver in Miami, live in the United States during pregnancy, and navigate costs associated with giving birth in America.
President Trump signed an executive order targeting birth tourism after the Supreme Court struck down his broader efforts to curtail birthright citizenship. That order specifically banned automatic citizenship for children born to foreign government workers, a narrower category than birth tourism broadly. The administration has signaled it will pursue additional immigration enforcement measures through congressional action where executive authority is limited.
The Bottom Line
The Sept. 1 hearing marks the latest front in ongoing legal and political battles over birthright citizenship in the United States. Whether Lorentz appears remains uncertain; defying a congressional subpoena could expose him to criminal contempt charges. The committee has invited Dr. Steve Camarota of the Center for Immigration Studies and Dr. Julio César Novoa, medical director of International Maternity Services, to testify alongside or in place of Lorentz. Watch for whether Democrats on the committee raise constitutional objections to the investigation's scope and whether any legislative proposals emerge from the hearing.
No opinion — just implications and next steps.