Argentina worried over Russian women traveling to give birth

By DÉBORA REY and DANIEL POLITI
Associated Press

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina’s government is acknowledging concern over the large number of pregnant Russian women who have recently entered the country to give birth as a way to obtain an Argentine passport, claiming that three Russian spies who were recently detained in Slovenia were citizens of the South American country. Immigration authorities forbade six pregnant Russian women from entering Argentina this week — three on Wednesday and three on Thursday — saying they had falsely claimed to be tourists, said Florencia Carignano, the national director for migration. In the last year, 21,757 Russian citizens have entered Argentina, including around 10,500 pregnant women, an official said.