Thread: Tours Sell U.S. Citizenship to Expectant Mothers

TOURS SELL CITIZENSHIP;2 WEBSITES TARGET EXPECTANT SOUTH KOREAN MOTHERS

By Bryan C. Sualog • Pacific Daily News • October 29, 2008

The Guam Memorial Hospital and a prominent Guam doctor said they've been approached separately by tour agents about bringing in pregnant South Korean tourists who want their babies born on Guam.

Babies born on Guam receive U.S. citizenship.

Two Web sites -- www.americanbaby.co.kr and www.guambaby.com -- advertise services for expectant Korean mothers to come to Guam to have their babies.

Dr. Thomas Shieh, an obstetrician and gynecologist, said he's been approached by tour agents about contracting to deliver babies from Korean citizens.

He said it's been going on for a while. He was contacted four years ago and then again this summer. He turned down the offers both times.

Shieh said he'll provide his services to tourists if they need help medically.

"But I don't contract out specifically for that purpose," he said.

As a naturalized citizen who was born in Taiwan, Shieh said he understands how precious U.S. citizenship is.

"I think getting U.S. Citizenship is a good opportunity. However, I think we have to look at the proper channels," Sheih said. "And you don't really know what happens after they leave Guam. These babies born here, are they taken back to Korea? Are they sold to adoption agencies? You don't know. There's no way to actually confirm that."

Shieh said he checked with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office and he was told the agency was aware of the issue and was investigating it.

Jane Flores, the hospital's acting chief financial officer, said she was aware of what was going on because she was contacted by a representative of www.guambaby.com.

Flores said expectant mothers must pre-register at the hospital and pay a $2,000 deposit in the event they have a difficult birth. The representative tried to make arrangements for an exception to the fee.

"They were arguing that they're here just to have their babies and then they leave. They don't want to pay the deposit," Flores said.

The sites have photos of the facilities available in Guam, including housing accommodations, Guam Memorial Hospital, and the birthing center Sagua Mañagu.

Sagua Mañagu General Manager Lina Leon Guerrero said the birthing center didn't authorize the use of the photos of its facilities or staff.

"People have brought it to our attention and the worst part of it is we don't speak Korean, so we don't know what it says," she said.

Leon Guerrero said the pictures could have been taken by patients or scanned from previous ads.

She said that if patients come to the clinic and want to deliver at the birthing center, they can if they meet the criteria. A patient has to be healthy and have a local doctor with privileges at the clinic.

The site Americanbaby.co.kr goes as far as to outline a step-by-step process for expectant moms:

Step 1: Get prenatal care in South Korea;
Step 2: Give birth at Guam Memorial Hospital;
Step 3: Get a passport and Social Security number in Guam within a week after birth; and
Step 4: Go back to Korea in two to three weeks.

The Pacific Daily News called the U.S. Attorney's Office and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office on Guam for comment. The U.S. Attorney didn't respond as of 7 p.m. yesterday. The immigration agency stated, as a matter of policy, that it could neither confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation and forwarded inquiries to its public affairs office in Los Angeles, which didn't respond as of 7 p.m. yesterday.

Each of the Web sites has Guam phone numbers and Guam office addresses, but when the Pacific Daily News called those numbers, the calls weren't answered or the person who answered hung up when informed the call was being made by the PDN.

http://www.guampdn.com/article/20081029 ... GECAROUSEL

So they are not only are these particular Koreans crooked and opportunistic they are cheap.

Call them 1-671-689-1313


BTW Guam's hospitals are subsidized by the local taxpayers. The enabling obstetric physician is named Jonathan Sidell.

GMH Continues to Need Cash Infusion

Click Here For Full Report
February 18, 2003

For the last five years Guam Memorial Hospital’s operating expenditures have climbed dramatically going from $61.6 million in 1997 to $80 million in FY 2001. Operating revenues on the other hand have risen at a slower pace going from $55.8 million in 1997 to $73 million in 2001 (see graph for details). Subsidies from the Government of Guam have bridge the operating gap, which were $9.4 million in 2000 but only $5.7 million in 2001. In 2000, GMHA also benefited to the tune of $ 3.2 million in the forgiveness of penalties and interest on past due withholding taxes under the government’s tax amnesty program. Of the subsidies received in 2000, $1million was the result of four “emergency declarationsâ€

This is why the 14th Amendment MUST be revisited! Only children born to US citizens or VERIFIABLE legal permanent immigrants should get US citizenship. Children born to those not legally here or tourists should NOT!!!

This seems to be another step toward a new world order as in a few generations, there probably will not be many on the planet without US citizenship.

my name is Dr Jon sidell

I was mentioned by name in this forum

Let me reply

First no one respects rule of law more than me.

Including immigration

the original article a physician states "he does not contract with Koreans"
.
Every physician who delivers babies on Guam delivers Koreans, including the Doctor who was quoted, and no one is contracted, period

As far as me being the one who enables, at time of article I had never delivered a Korean. But the physician who was quoted and others delivered hundreds.

we obtained legal advice from state department, attorneys, and what is not shown is article that came out a week later stating what we are doing is legal.

Richard who stated I'm the enabler calls Koreans cheap. They pay the hospital more than any of the local insurance companies, and pay in a more timely fashion

They also stimulate economy by pouring in millions of dollars.

they leave country after baby is born, they never go on welfare or any other government program.

The reason they have babies born in America is so their children can go to the best schools in Korea, as American passport enables them to attend international schools there

i hope this clears up any confusion
thanks Jon