Chino Hills 'maternity hotels' reanimate birthright citizenship debates
The discovery of at least two alleged "maternity hotels" in Chino Hills is motivating the area's assemblyman to craft a bill creating new penalties for those who he believes are exploiting a loophole in immigration laws.
The state Legislature does not have power over immigration, but Assemblyman Curt Hagman, R-Chino Hills, wants to find a way within the state's powers to attack the issue.
Hagman wants to create new punishments for anyone who breaks state or local law while running maternity hotels, which are semi-underground facilities for women who travel to the United States specifically to obtain American citizenship for their newborns.