Marketing U.S. Citizenship And Childbirth Services At Meadowlands Hospital
Taken from NJ Spotlight, August 10, 2016
A company based in the Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center has been advertising online to Russian citizens, encouraging pregnant women to come to the Secaucus facility to give birth — a process that makes the baby automatically eligible for U.S. citizenship and connects the hospital to a growing and relatively unknown international phenomenon known as “birth tourism.”
Unlike the situation involving “anchor babies,” in which impoverished illegal immigrants move to the United States, where their children automatically become citizens, birth tourists generally intend to return home. Their child’s citizenship is meant as insurance in case family members wish to leave their native country at some point.
The MHMC service, called “AmeriMama,” promotes tour packages that offer to coordinate medical services at Meadowlands Hospital and help the family establish a comfortable life in the area for up to six months. A Russian-language website — which was active for more than a year and taken down after NJ Spotlight raised questions about its content — promised to secure citizenship papers, passports, and travel visas for the baby for fees ranging from $8,500 to $27,500, depending on the level of assistance involved; airfare, housing, and living expenses appear to cost extra. (The AmeriMama Facebook page remains active.)
While families generally return to their home countries after giving birth, their babies can eventually enjoy the benefits of American, or dual, citizenship — and parents have the right to apply for residency after several decades. Plus, the quality of medical care is often better in this country and more focused on the patient’s comfort, the site explains.
“Childbirth in New York is the best investment in the future of your family!” reads a translation of the website undertaken by NJ Spotlight — even though the hospital is in New Jersey.
Despite the promotion, AmeriMama does not appear to have been particularly successful; many beds have remained empty in the maternity ward and hospital in general in recent years. AmeriMama began in December 2014, according to the website, but sources connected to the hospital said it has been going on informally for even longer.