# 119-s-4501: BACK OFF Act

119-s-4501, BACK OFF Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX] (R-TX); status introduced (as of 2026-08-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4501
- As of: 2026-08-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4501
- Congress: 119
- Title: BACK OFF Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-05-12
- Sponsor: Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX] (R-TX)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Immigration
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-11

## Summary

**Nationwide crackdown on birth tourism.** This bill would create new crimes for people who arrange or enable birth tourism, require medical screening to spot likely U.S. births, and speed up removal of suspected cases. - Visa applicants and noncitizen women of childbearing age would face mandatory medical exams by U.S. Public Health Service officers to assess whether they are likely to give birth in the United States within 10 months. A finding of high likelihood could block visa issuance or admission. - People and businesses that provide housing, transport, medical care, forged documents, or other services to facilitate birth tourism would face new federal crimes. Penalties would typically start at 10 years in prison and include fines up to $100,000, with some offenses carrying up to 25 years. - Immigration enforcement would widen. Suspected birth-tourism cases would be subject to expedited removal with an immigration judge review within 7 days, mandatory detention for certain related convictions or admissions, no waivers or parole, and a 180-day visa pause for countries that refuse repatriation.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC] (R-NC), 2026-05-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Banks, Jim [R-IN] (R-IN), 2026-07-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN] (R-TN), 2026-07-16T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Act takes effect on enactment: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill and all of its amendments would take effect on the date the President signs it into law. This clause only sets when the changes begin and does not itself change who gets benefits or the amounts involved.
- DHS taskforce to target birth tourism: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would create a DHS Birth Tourism Taskforce made up of USCIS, ICE, HSI, and CBP. The taskforce would investigate people and organizations that run birth‑tourism schemes, refer cases to the Department of Justice, create training for local law enforcement, coordinate with other ag…
- Medical exams for pregnant travelers: cost, high. If enacted, biological females of childbearing age who apply for B (business/pleasure) visas would be examined by a U.S. Public Health Service medical officer to see if they are likely to give birth in the United States within 10 months. A certification showing likely birth within 10 months could l…
- Faster removal and detention rules: cost, medium. If enacted, the bill would add new non‑waivable inadmissibility and deportability grounds tied to birth tourism and make people convicted of related offenses subject to mandatory detention. It would create an expedited removal process where an immigration judge must review the case within 7 days an…
- New federal crimes for birth tourism: cost, medium. If enacted, the bill would create several federal crimes for conduct that helps birth tourism. Covered acts include forging or providing false immigration documents, helping with visa or travel to obtain a U.S. birth for a child, providing housing or transport to enable birth tourism, and health‑ca…
- Visa pause for noncooperative countries: cost, low. If enacted, the bill would require a 180‑day pause on visa issuance for all citizens of any country that refuses to accept a returned removed person within 14 days. The pause would continue until the country agrees to accept the person. The Secretary of State and DHS Secretary could jointly allow n…
- Agency exemptions from paperwork rules: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would let the heads of DHS, HHS, State, or DOJ skip the Paperwork Reduction Act and some Administrative Procedure Act rulemaking requirements when they determine compliance would impede immediate implementation of this Act. This would speed agency action to put the bill's rules…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
- 119-s-4952: Protecting American Taxpayers Act
- 119-s-292: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025
- 119-s-554: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025
- 119-s-3752: SAVE America Act
- 119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act

## Sources
- [119-s-4501 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4501)

## Related
- [119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1071)
- [119-s-4952: Protecting American Taxpayers Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4952)
- [119-s-292: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-292)
- [119-s-554: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-554)
- [119-s-3752: SAVE America Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3752)
- [119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4744)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4501 (as of 2026-08-11).