Seven Chinese witnesses who have jumped bail and fled to Chinese mainland in connection with "birthing centers" in California face arrest and prosecution, according to an attorney who represented three of them.

"They would be prosecuted for jumping bail, and probably visa fraud," Jing Wang, a Los Angeles attorney, told China Daily by phone on April 17. An urgent meeting was held between the judge, the prosecutors and the attorneys for the absconding witnesses late April 16.

The bail-jumping has affected the rest of the witnesses who remain in the United States, as their passports would be frozen until September, Wang said after returning from the meeting.

The seven witnesses, along with 10 others remaining in California, were ordered to stay in the US for testimony against the operators of 20 "birthing centers", also called "maternity hotels", in Southern California. The operators were believed to help Chinese women travel to the US solely to give birth.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided the facilities on March 3 to collect evidence for alleged visa fraud and other crimes such as tax evasion and money laundering, as large amounts of cash was exchanged, mostly outside of the US.

More than 20 people, including those Chinese women and their families, agreed to testify as witnesses in exchange for immunity from prosecution. Some of them have been removed from the list of witnesses after having finished testimony.

Wang said she received an e-mail from clients - a mother and a couple - on the morning of April 15 saying they had returned to the Chinese mainland.

"They expressed apology and said they were willing to come back for testimony on three conditions," Wang said. "They requested a more specific time frame, immunity from prosecution and the return of the bail."

The absconding families had each posted $5,000 in bail.

Judge David Bristow said that absconding witnesses had no right to bargain, and that they should come back for testimony with no conditions, according to the World Journal, a Chinese-language newspaper in the US.

The judge also said they may face the punishment of a lifetime ban from the US, according to the April 17 report.

Although it would be almost impossible for the parents to re-enter the US, the babies' US citizenship would not be affected, Wang said.

She said she would talk with prosecutors to see if they can strike a deal to bring those bail-jumping witnesses back to the US.

So far, no Chinese mothers or "hotel" operators have been arrested or prosecuted.

Wang said her remaining client still lived in a "maternity hotel", and that she received an e-mail from the operator's lawyer a few days ago that they would still provide lodging, but no other services were available.

The "birthing centers" business was started 10 years ago by immigrants from Taiwan. All-inclusive package and services were eventually offered, from coaching classes on visa-application "techniques" to applying for US passports for the babies.

According to Chinese media reports, the number of Chinese women traveling to the US to have babies has increased 100 times over the last 10 years. It was expected that 60,000 Chinese women were going to give birth in the US this year.

liazhu@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily USA 04/20/2015 page1)