Paxton accuses Houston-area business of running birth tourism scheme

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Ken Paxton, Texas attorney general and Republican US Senate candidate, speaks during the Ronald Regan Dinner at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Grapevine, Texas, US, on Friday, March 27, 2026. The Conservative Political Action

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AUSTIN, Texas - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is accusing a Houston-area business of running a "birth-tourism" operation, coaching clients through visa scrutiny and falsely advertising medical and nursing services.

Paxton claims that through the De'ai Postpartum Care Center, Lin Suling and Lai Wan Lin-Chan used social media to promote their center and encourage pregnant Chinese women to come to their facilities to give birth in the United States and secure U.S. citizenship for their children.

Court documents state the pair own four properties in Sugar Land, Houston, Richmond and Rosenberg that can house multiple families at a time and facilitate up to 20 births per day. According to the filing, the center marketed prenatal and postpartum services to Chinese clients through social media sites such as TikTok, WeChat, Facebook, Meipan and its own websites, claiming to have facilitated "1,000+" American-born babies.

Four properties the Texas Attorney General's Office claims were being used for birth-tourism.

In the filing, Paxton claims the center was coaching those who wanted to enter the United States to give birth on how to obtain tourist visas, entering the United States and travel timing, including recommending women apply for a visa before becoming pregnant to avoid detection, even though the state says tourist visas cannot be used for the primary purpose of giving birth to obtain citizenship for the child.

What they're saying:

"America is for Americans, not foreigners trying to cheat the system to claim citizenship," Paxton said. "The Center’s scheme not only facilitated an invasion of Texas, but it also involved shielding and facilitating violations of immigration law. Birthright citizenship is a scam that threatens national security, and I will do everything in my power to stop unlawful ‘birth tourism’ schemes like this one."

Court documents state the dependents posted a TikTok video last week when they acknowledged increased federal scrutiny of birth tourism. Paxton is accusing the defendants of helping clients misrepresent the purpose of their travel on visa paperwork and of shielding them from detection.

The defendants are also accused of false and misleading advertising. Court documents state the center claimed to offer 24-hour care by experienced nurses and suggested it was connected to the Woman's Hospital of Texas. Paxton claims searches of the Texas nursing and medical board databases did not return licenses for those named in the filing.

The lawsuit claims the center violated Texas laws for tampering with governmental records, unlawful concealment and harboring, public nuisance and deceptive trade practices. Paxton is asking for a permanent injunction to close the business and monetary penalties.