House Oversight subpoenas Miami doctor for birth-tourism hearing
The House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed Miami doctor Wladimir Lorentz to appear and testify at a Sept. 1 hearing on birth tourism after his attorney cited a pending federal criminal investigation and Lorentz’s Fifth Amendment rights.
The subpoena is dated Aug. 26, 2026, and the committee announced it Aug. 27. It requires Lorentz to appear before the panel’s Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuses for a hearing titled “Protecting American Citizenship: Confronting Birth Tourism.”
Lorentz is identified in the subpoena as the founder and chief medical officer of Miami Medical Concierge Services, LLC, which does business as Have My Baby in Miami.
What the subpoena says
The committee’s cover letter says Lorentz’s attorney disclosed that Lorentz and Miami Medical Concierge Services are subjects of a pending federal criminal investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
According to the letter, the attorney also said Lorentz was not in a position to provide testimony or requested disclosures because of constitutional protections, including the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. Counsel asked the committee to defer Lorentz’s appearance until the investigation had concluded or progressed far enough that testimony would pose less risk to his rights.
House Oversight declined to defer the appearance. The committee said its oversight authority is not curtailed by the existence of another civil or criminal investigation and issued the subpoena to compel Lorentz’s attendance and testimony.
The subpoena does not determine whether Lorentz or his company committed a crime. The reference to a pending investigation is not an indictment, criminal charge or finding of wrongdoing.
Attendance and answers are separate issues. Lorentz may appear as required while invoking constitutional protections in response to particular questions. It is not yet clear whether he will provide substantive testimony.
What lawmakers plan to examine
House Oversight says the hearing will examine the prevalence of birth-tourism schemes, how companies market maternity-related services to foreign expectant mothers, and how the immigration system addresses those practices.
The committee also says it is examining possible national-security and election-integrity implications, including concerns it has raised about activity involving nationals from countries such as China and Russia. Those are investigative concerns stated by the committee, not established findings about Lorentz, his company or individual clients.
The hearing could inform debate over future legislation, but it will not itself change birthright-citizenship law or issue a criminal or immigration ruling.
Why the Miami connection matters
Miami-Dade has been a focus of public scrutiny over businesses that arrange medical, housing and other services for foreign visitors who travel to the United States to give birth. Local 10 previously reported on federal pressure involving a Miami-Dade birth-tourism business and identified Lorentz as a medical figure associated with the operation.
The Miami connection also overlaps with the Southern District of Florida investigation identified in the subpoena. The committee document does not disclose the investigation’s details or establish any criminal finding.
Federal immigration law separately addresses material misrepresentation, generally involving a material false statement made to obtain a visa, admission or another immigration benefit. That general legal standard does not establish that Lorentz, his company or any visitor made such a statement.
Birthright-citizenship context
The hearing follows the Supreme Court’s June 30, 2026, ruling ending the Trump administration’s executive-order effort to limit birthright citizenship, according to Roll Call’s report on the decision. The ruling is background for the committee’s investigation; it does not make the subpoena a citizenship ruling or decide how Congress may respond through future legislation.
When the hearing will take place
The hearing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Eastern time Tuesday, Sept. 1, in Room 2154 of the Rayburn House Office Building. House Oversight says it will be open to the public and livestreamed.
The committee’s announcement lists Dr. Julio César Novoa as invited, rather than definitively confirmed, along with Dr. Steven A. Camarota of the Center for Immigration Studies. Lorentz’s appearance is backed by the subpoena, but the scope of his answers remains unresolved.
After the hearing, readers should watch for any additional subpoena-enforcement action, information from federal investigators, and legislation or agency action addressing birth-tourism marketing and immigration enforcement.
Sources
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