Little Marco’s Big Brag Backfires Immediately

Alex Wong/Getty Images Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s vow that “American citizenship is not for sale” has run straight into an awkward contradiction.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Rubio announced a new State Department task force aimed at cracking down on so-called birth tourism.

In the post, he accused foreign nationals of exploiting U.S. immigration laws by traveling to the country to give birth and secure citizenship for their children.

He said “elaborate birth tourism rings” were coaching foreigners to manipulate the visa system, arranging travel and housing and even forging documents.

“The State Department established a Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force to review the activity of visa holders, dismantle illegal birth tourism networks, and put an end to this heinous abuse of our nation’s laws,” Rubio wrote.

He said the task force had already revoked more than 600 visas in a single month.

“The State Department will use all available tools to dismantle birth tourism networks and defend the integrity of U.S. citizenship,” Rubio added.

“American citizenship is not for sale,” Rubio wrote on X.

But the announcement immediately drew attention to another Trump administration immigration initiative: the Trump Gold Card.

The program allows wealthy foreigners to obtain U.S. residency after paying a $1 million contribution, plus a $15,000 Department of Homeland Security processing fee and completing background checks.

The official program describes it as providing U.S. residency “in record time.” Gold Card holders do not receive instant citizenship.

Instead, the program creates an expedited pathway to lawful permanent residence, from which they can eventually seek citizenship if they meet the applicable requirements.

That distinction did little to stop critics from pointing out the administration’s hypocrisy.

“The Trump administration is literally selling US citizenship,” one person wrote.