A Houston business accused of taking part in the illegal “birth tourism” industry has officially been shut down following a lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. 

Paxton announced on Friday that the De’Ai Postpartum Care Center and its operators must cease operations and facilitate births. The lawsuit was initiated in April 2026. It alleged that the center, which has operated for nearly 20 years, was actively helping people from foreign countries evade federal immigration rules to give birth on U.S. soil, according to Fox 26 in Houston. 

The center was responsible for more than 1,000 such births. 

“I will do everything in my power to stop foreign nationals from unlawfully exploiting our immigration system through the scam of ‘birth tourism,’” said Paxton in a release posted on X. “This operation helped Chinese foreign nationals come to Texas to evade our laws. Now we have shut it down."

The operation involved coaching Chinese natives to come to or stay in the U.S. unlawfully by hiding that purpose from the outset was to give birth. The women were advised to apply for visas "before pregnancy" so they didn’t raise alarm bells.

The Center marketed its services through popular Chinese social media platforms and websites.