Argentina Says Criminal Groups Are Luring Russian Moms-to-Be

Nicolle Yapur, Bloomberg News

Travelers arrive at Ezeiza International Airport (EZE) as quarantine restrictions are lifted in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. Starting Nov. 1, Argentina has lifted restrictions to enter and exit the country from international airports. Photographer: Erica Canepa/Bloomberg , Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- Criminal organizations are luring pregnant Russian women into Argentina with so-called childbirth tourism packages, the South American country’s immigration director said on Sunday.

Immigration officials uncovered the situation after interviewing 350 Russian women arriving in Argentina with advanced pregnancies, said National Director of Immigration Florencia Carignano on Sunday. The women, seeking citizenship for their children, pay “important sums” of money for these packages, she wrote on Twitter.

Carignano on Friday reported an increase in the influx of Russians fleeing the effects of the war in Ukraine, with pregnant women accounting for more than half of the 10,500 visitors from that country last year. Argentina doesn’t require visas for Russian tourists.

Read more: Russian Moms-to-Be Flock to Argentina Seeking Safety, Passports

The discovery has been provided to federal justice authorities to “continue to protect our passport,” Carignano said on Sunday.

--With assistance from Patrick Gillespie.

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