"Rent-a-womb" scandal: How China is exploiting U.S. birthright citizenship for long-term espionage

By willowt // 2025-03-26

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Chinese nationals are using U.S. commercial surrogacy laws to mass-produce American-born children, bypassing stricter "birth tourism" crackdowns. These infants are granted U.S. citizenship but raised in China as loyal CCP subjects.
U.S. officials warn these children could later be weaponized by China for espionage, military infiltration or economic warfare, leveraging their U.S. passports for access to sensitive institutions.
Tens of thousands of such cases exist across the U.S., with Chinese couples paying up to $70,000 per surrogate—a legal but ethically contentious practice compared to visa-fraud-dependent birth tourism.
Unlike birth tourism, surrogacy isn’t illegal, leaving no clear mechanism to stop it. Some lawmakers advocate ending birthright citizenship or tightening surrogacy laws to address the loophole.
The article frames this as a long-term strategic threat, urging Congress to act before China’s "rent-a-womb" scheme undermines U.S. sovereignty and security.

A disturbing new trend has emerged in California—one that threatens to undermine American sovereignty and national security. Chinese nationals are exploiting legal loopholes in U.S. surrogacy laws to mass-produce American-born citizens who will never pledge allegiance to the United States. Instead, these children are whisked back to China, armed with U.S. passports—documents that could one day be weaponized by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for espionage, military infiltration or economic warfare.

The "rent-a-womb" scheme: A legal loophole with dire consequences

For years, "birth tourism" was the preferred method for wealthy Chinese couples to secure American citizenship for their children. Pregnant women would travel to the U.S. on tourist visas, give birth and return home with a child holding a U.S. passport. Federal crackdowns on visa fraud have made this harder—but now, a more sophisticated and legally murkier alternative has taken its place: commercial surrogacy. As NewsNation’s Brian Entin revealed in an explosive report, Chinese couples are paying American women upwards of $70,000 to act as surrogates, implanting them with Chinese sperm and eggs. The resulting child is born on U.S. soil, automatically granted citizenship under the 14th Amendment, and then immediately taken back to China—where they will be raised as loyal CCP subjects. "It's happened tens of thousands of times across the United States," Entin reported. "This is actually one of the motels we went into where some of the pregnant women stay. Basically, with the rent-a-wombs, you've got these parents in China who spend hundreds of thousands of dollars. It's happening thousands of times." This abuse of our birthright citizenship laws is just the next evolution of the birth tourism movement that was big just a few years ago. Back in 2018 federal authorities closed down more than 20 "maternity hotels" in California that were full of pregnant Chinese women who had paid $40,000-80,000 to give birth in the United States so their baby would have an American passport. Unlike birth tourism, which often involves visa fraud, surrogacy is not illegal—meaning there is currently no legal mechanism for the U.S. government to stop it.

A national security nightmare in the making

The implications are staggering. Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph McNally warned that these children could become future spies or military assets for China. "Any time that somebody has a U.S. passport, it means that they have access to the United States," McNally said. "A child born in Irvine in 2015 goes back and ultimately joins the Chinese military at age 20. Having a U.S. passport, that provides a real national security asset to China and a real problem to the United States." China has a well-documented history of long-term strategic planning. The CCP invests in decades-long influence operations, from Confucius Institutes to corporate espionage. Now, they are manufacturing American citizens who could, in 20 years, infiltrate U.S. government agencies, military installations, or Silicon Valley firms—all while owing their true loyalty to Beijing.

Can this be stopped? The battle over birthright citizenship

The Trump administration has already taken steps to end birthright citizenship via executive order, though legal challenges loom. Meanwhile, lawmakers like Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY) are sounding the alarm. "Because of advances in technology, lax surrogacy laws and the incorrect understanding of the 14th Amendment, countries are now using international surrogacy programs to rent wombs in America," Hageman said. "I found it to be incredibly strange and dystopian." The solution? Closing the surrogacy loophole and re-examining birthright citizenship. Until then, China will continue exploiting America’s laws—one rented womb at a time.

A call to action

This is not just about immigration—it’s about national survival. If unchecked, China’s "rent-a-womb" scheme could flood America with tens of thousands of dual citizens who serve Beijing’s interests. Congress must act before it’s too late. The CCP plays the long game. The question is: Will America wake up in time? Sources include: X.com NewsNation.com NBCNews.com