Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has launched an investigation into a South Texas hospital for allegedly advertising “birth tourism” services in Mexico. Abbott announced the investigation into Mission Regional Medical Center, in the Rio Grande Valley, on Tuesday, July 6, 2026.
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is calling for state health regulators to investigate a South Texas hospital for allegedly advertising “birth tourism” services to “foreign nationals” in other countries.
Abbott is calling for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to investigate Mission Regional Medical Center, a Prime Healthcare hospital located in the Rio Grande Valley, for allegedly advertising its maternity services on billboards in Mexico.
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Gov. Greg Abbott claims South Texas hospital broke the law
“Reports show the hospital targets foreign nationals with ‘birth packages in South Texas’ to profit from birth tourism that grants U.S. citizenship to children born in the United States,” the governor’s office said in a news release on Tuesday, July 7.
Abbott claims what the hospital did is a crime — “an illegal practice” — and is asking the HHSC to investigate the hospital for potential “civil enforcement” and criminal prosecution. Abbott’s call to action comes just days after right wing commentator and podcast host David J. Harris Jr. posted photos on social media showing billboards advertising “birth packages in South Texas” at the hospital.
Shown is the entrance of Mission Regional Medical Center, a Prime Healthcare hospital in the Rio Grande Valley.
Courtesy Google Street View
Mission Regional Medical Center denies wrongdoing
The hospital has denied any wrongdoing and said it plans to cooperate with any investigation.
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“Like hospitals across the country and throughout the region, we share information about the healthcare services we provide. We do not support or facilitate any unlawful activity,” Mission Regional told MySA via email.
However, the hospital acknowledged that “the marketing materials regarding maternity services are no longer in use due to any unintended misunderstanding.”
How did the Texas “birth tourism” controversy start?
Harris posted photos of the billboards on his verified Facebook account twice on July 4. But it’s not the first time the photos have made the rounds. On April 18, former Republican Congresswoman Mayra Flores — who has twice failed to regain the 34th Congressional District seat she briefly held in 2022 — posted an image of the billboard on X. Flores — who was born in Burgos, Tamaulipas, Mexico — said the billboard was located in Reynosa, just across the Rio Grande from McAllen and Mission.
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What did the billboards say?
The advertisements list the costs for delivering a baby at the Valley hospital.
“Natural $3,950. C-Section $5,525,” the billboard reads.
Below that is the phone number for the hospital’s women’s center and a website, “havemybabyinTEXAS.com,” along with the hospital’s social media handles. By Wednesday morning, the website had been taken down; however, the phone number is still listed as part of Mission Regional’s main website.
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Birth tourism controversy comes days after Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship
Harris’ post and Abbott’s call for an investigation come about a week after the United States Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s executive order that sought to end birthright citizenship — a right enshrined within the 14th Amendment — by a 6-to-3 majority. The court found that children born within the United States are citizens, regardless of their parents’ immigration status.
“Under the Constitution, they are citizens at birth,” Chief Justice John Roberts, a conservative, wrote.
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But the Texas governor is vowing to pursue both legal and legislative action against those he says are exploiting “the extraordinary hospitality of the United States and Texas.” And he’s not alone. State Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, wants to make birth tourism operations a felony and wants Texas to stop issuing birth certificates to children born to non-citizens.