4 minPolitics
House panel subpoenas Florida doctor in birth tourism probe
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer subpoenaed Dr. Wladimir Lorentz of Have My Baby in Miami as part of a hearing on birth tourism, citing national security concerns. The Sept. 1 hearing follows a White House executive order targeting the practice.
The House Oversight Committee is escalating its investigation into birth tourism, issuing a subpoena to a Florida doctor who runs a business that helps foreign nationals give birth in the United States. Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., sent the subpoena Tuesday to Dr. Wladimir Lorentz, founder and chief medical officer of Have My Baby in Miami, after Lorentz declined to appear voluntarily. The committee has scheduled a hearing on the practice for Sept. 1.
In a letter accompanying the subpoena, Comer said Lorentz's attorney cited a pending criminal probe by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida as the reason for refusing to testify. Comer rejected that justification, writing that Lorentz's knowledge of the company's marketing practices and direct observations of the birth tourism industry are vital to the investigation. He also noted national security concerns raised by the practice, arguing that delaying testimony would curtail the committee's ability to inform its oversight and legislative goals.
Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, who leads the committee's task force on institutional abuses, echoed those concerns. He described birth tourism as an industry that openly markets American citizenship to foreign nationals who travel to the U.S. specifically to give birth on American soil. Gill pointed to the number of birth tourists arriving from adversarial nations, including China and Russia, as a serious national security issue. His task force, founded this year, has previously focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, including hearings on the Smithsonian Institution and the American Bar Association.
Birth tourism refers to the practice of foreign nationals entering the U.S. on temporary visas to have a child who automatically becomes an American citizen under the 14th Amendment. President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order targeting the practice after the Supreme Court struck down his broader efforts to end birthright citizenship. That order also banned automatic citizenship for children born to foreign government workers.
Have My Baby in Miami is one of several businesses that appear to facilitate the process. Its website and social media pages were disabled as of Thursday, but a YouTube page associated with the company described how to deliver in Miami, live in the U.S. during pregnancy, and obtain citizenship for newborns. The page noted that children born in the United States, with rare exceptions, have U.S. citizenship. A Florida news outlet reported in October 2025 that the company claimed to have helped deliver 2,000 babies.
The Sept. 1 hearing is also expected to include testimony from Dr. Steve Camarota of the Center for Immigration Studies and Dr. Julio César Novoa, medical director and owner of International Maternity Services. It remains unclear whether Lorentz will appear despite the subpoena. Defying a congressional subpoena can result in criminal charges.
