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Buenos Aires Airport: "Something is strange when pregnant women come in the 34th week"
Photo: AGUSTIN MARCARIAN / REUTERS
Authorities have launched an investigation after thousands of pregnant Russian women entered Argentina.
The newspaper "La Nación" reported on Saturday, citing security circles, that it was being checked whether a criminal network was behind the birth tourism in the South American country.
Computers, mobile phones, entry documents and cash were seized during house searches in the elegant Puerto Madero district of Buenos Aires.
Around 10,500 pregnant women came to Argentina from Russia last year, around 5,800 of them were in the last trimester of pregnancy.
Children born in Argentina automatically receive Argentine citizenship, Argentine media suspect that is the real reason for entry.
As parents of an Argentinian child, couples from Russia can also easily apply for citizenship.
An Argentine passport is considered attractive: Argentine citizens can travel to more than 160 countries without a visa.
After Russia's attack on Ukraine, entry into other countries, such as the EU, has become more difficult for Russian citizens.
“There's an investigation into who's behind these gangs that bring men and women here.
It's a million-dollar business," said the head of Argentina's immigration service, Florencia Carignano.
Website offers "First Class" immigration packages starting at $15,000
Last Thursday alone, 33 pregnant Russian women flew to Buenos Aires on the same plane.
According to the report by "La Nación", 83 women from Russia landed in Buenos Aires on Friday, 16 of the passengers were pregnant.
»Something's weird when pregnant women come in at 34 weeks.
So we suspect they don't just want to vacation," Carignano said.
It is true that foreign women are not prohibited from coming to Argentina to give birth to their child, she explained.
However, they would need a special visa to do so.
According to the BBC, it has discovered a Russian-language website that offers such packages.
They sometimes include Spanish lessons, airport pickup, and discounts to "the best hospitals in the Argentine capital."
Prices start at $5,000 but can go up to $15,000 and up for a "first class" package.
The website says the company is "100 percent Argentinian."
pbe/dpa
