DOJ to target birth tourism schemes in the US, Trump says
The Justice Department and FBI announce the arrest of eight alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, charged with kidnappings and murders in Texas and Illinois. Former acting ICE Director Jonathan Fahey analyzes open border policies, the Biden administration’s role, and new strategies to combat birth tourism. Donald Trump calls for legislative changes to birthright citizenship, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez warns of costs from ending Temporary Protected Status.
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White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said Friday that the Trump administration is seeking to debank illegal immigrants as an incentive for them to self-deport from the United States.
Miller gave an update on the White House’s latest tactic to deter illegal immigration during an interview Friday on The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton show.
“President Trump signed an executive order a few weeks ago saying that we are not going to allow illegal aliens to use banking services in this country,” Miller said.
“Illegal aliens have credit cards, they have bank accounts, and they’re paid with direct deposit. So, illegal aliens fully participate in the commercial systems, the financial systems of America. Shutting that down is a massive engine for deportation,” he added.
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller addresses the audience during opening remarks at the Ministerial on the Resurgence of Political Terrorism at the State Department on July 16, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Finn Gomez/Getty Images)
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Miller was likely referring to an executive order Trump signed on May 19 that directed banks and federal regulators to increase scrutiny of accounts and credit applications involving immigrants without legal status or work authorization.
The order did not explicitly instruct banks to deny credit cards or bank accounts to illegal immigrants, but compliance with it could make it more difficult for them to participate in the financial system.
Federal agencies have already begun acting on Trump’s executive order.
President Donald Trump addresses the nation from the East Room of the White House on July 16, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Saul Loeb/Pool – Getty Images)
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In early June, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, led by Russell Vought, issued guidance stating that lenders may — and in some cases must — consider applicants’ immigration status and work authorization when assessing their ability to repay loans.
Miller also referenced guidance from three federal agencies issued on July 13 “reminding supervised financial institutions to apply existing safe-and-sound credit risk management practices when lending to borrowers who are not legally authorized to work in the United States.”
Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), during a House Financial Services Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on July 15, 2026. (Jason Andrew/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Both advisories serve to tell banks that illegal immigrants could be higher-risk customers for loans.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
