Texas Border Business
By Texas Border Business
A social media post by verified commentator David J. Harris Jr. has drawn widespread attention after he shared images of bilingual billboards advertising maternity services at Mission Regional Medical Center in South Texas.
In a post published two days before Governor Greg Abbott ordered an investigation into the hospital, Harris wrote:
“🚨 BREAKING: U.S. hospitals in border states like Texas are now openly advertising ‘birth packages’ up to $5,000 to foreigners in Latin America. Essentially, someone can fly in, deliver, and secure automatic U.S. citizenship for their child.”
Harris continued:
“This is the direct result of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling preserving birthright citizenship for children of non-citizens. American citizenship is being turned into a paid service.”
The post included photographs of two roadside billboards identified as being associated with Mission Regional Medical Center. One billboard is written in Spanish and the other in English.
The Spanish billboard reads:
PAQUETES DE PARTO EN EL SUR DE TEXAS
Natural: $3,950
Cesárea: $5,525
001-956-519-2055
havemybabyinTEXAS.com
The English version states:
BIRTH PACKAGES IN SOUTH TEXAS
Natural: $3,950
C-Section: $5,525
001-956-519-2055
havemybabyinTEXAS.com
The social media post generated significant engagement, receiving thousands of reactions, hundreds of comments, and hundreds of shares.
The images circulated online as Governor Greg Abbott directed the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to investigate reports that Mission Regional Medical Center had advertised “Birth Packages in South Texas” in foreign countries and targeted foreign nationals in an apparent effort to profit from birth tourism. Abbott instructed HHSC to determine whether the hospital violated state law or contractual obligations and to take appropriate enforcement action if violations are found.
At the time of publication, the claims made in Harris’ social media post have not been independently verified by Texas Border Business. The billboard images, however, appear to match the language referenced in Governor Abbott’s July 7 directive ordering the HHSC investigation.
Mission Regional Medical Center has not publicly responded to the allegations or the governor’s directive at the time of publication.
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