A crop of "maternity homes" have been springing up around the Bay Area, providing housing, food, and transportation for pregnant Chinese and Taiwanese nationals, and guaranteed U.S. citizenship for their newborns, all for a steep fee. Expectant mothers with means from China and Taiwan have been fueling a growing industry of birth tourism in California, spending upwards of $30,000 to spend their final trimesters in Bay Area homes with other pregnant mothers and taking their babies home with their own U.S. passports.

As CBS 5 reports, more of these maternity homes are appearing in neighborhoods in Foster City, Fremont, and San Jose, with these arguably exploitative entrepreneurs turning single-family residences into these controversial businesses. An outcry over such homes in Southern California has reportedly pushed more of them to spring up here.

Mothers get room and board for four months, as well as transportation to doctor's appointments and hospitals, included in the $30,000 pricetag, but they have to pay for doctors, hospitals, and tourist visas out of pocket, meaning they could end up spending upward of $60,000 to ensure their children become U.S. citizens. Bill Hing, who teaches immigration law at USF says these people are clearly being taken advantage of. "Those are fees that people pay smugglers along the U.S. / Mexico border."

[CBS 5]