Washington, U.S., October 27 (ANI) — The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has suspended a program that allowed Chinese nationals to travel to the U.S. territory of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) without a visa for short-term visits, citing national security, law enforcement and immigration enforcement concerns.
U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican representing Utah, announced the decision in a post on X on Monday, crediting Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin with ending what he called a “loophole” for Chinese birth tourism.
“I’m very pleased to report that @SecMullinDHS at @DHSgov just CLOSED Joe Biden’s loophole for Chinese birth tourism for which we sounded the alarm earlier this year,” Lee said. “America is not a nursery for the CCP to steal citizenship. Thank you, President Trump!” he added.
Lee also highlighted an April post by Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin, which reported that four Republican senators had urged the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to close the program, arguing that it was being exploited by Chinese nationals seeking U.S. citizenship for their children through birthright citizenship.
“NEW: Four GOP Senators, @BasedMikeLee, @JohnCornyn, @SenRickScott, & @BillCassidy, have penned a letter to DHS Secretary Mullin, urging him to close a Biden-era ‘birth tourism’ loophole that allows Chinese nationals to visit the Northern Mariana Islands for 14 days without a visa, which they say is being exploited by the Chinese due to birthright citizenship,” Melugin said in the post.
The official notice issued by the Department of Homeland Security announced the suspension of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Economic Vitality and Security Travel Authorization Program (EVS-TAP), which permitted prescreened nationals of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to visit the territory without a visa for up to 14 days per visit, subject to specified conditions.
According to the notice, the suspension will apply to both new applicants and travelers holding existing authorizations. Chinese nationals already admitted to the CNMI under the program and legally present in the territory on the effective date will be permitted to remain for their currently authorized period of stay. However, they will need to obtain a visa for future visits.
The notice stated that the program’s suspension was necessary because the United States was facing “evolving and sophisticated threats” that, combined with the number of Chinese nationals entering the territory through the program, created “a significant risk to the security and law enforcement interests of the United States.”
According to the notice, more than 3,000 Chinese nationals used EVS-TAP to enter the CNMI in fiscal year 2025. The department said travelers were vetted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) rather than by a State Department consular officer.
“While the program was intended to facilitate economic travel and enhance security over the prior parole policy, this volume of visa-exempt entries presents unacceptable security and law enforcement risks,” the notice stated.
The department further said it believed Chinese nationals were “exploiting” the program, citing previous incidents involving unauthorized onward travel and activities near sensitive U.S. military installations.
The notice identified potential “espionage and intelligence collection” targeting U.S. defense infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific as a significant national security concern. It also pointed to the strategic importance of Guam and the CNMI, noting that the region hosts military facilities central to U.S. defense interests.
The department cited cases in which Chinese nationals were “convicted of conspiring” to transport other Chinese nationals illegally from the CNMI to Guam. In one case, nine Chinese nationals were allegedly transported, while another case involved seven individuals. The notice said most of those individuals were “later encountered in or near sensitive military installations.”
DHS also raised concerns about birth tourism, stating that the program could be exploited by visitors seeking U.S. citizenship for children born in the territory without lasting ties to the country.
The notice said birth tourism could place pressure on the CNMI’s medical infrastructure and affect residents, while potentially creating additional risks related to intelligence and espionage activities.
It also cited concerns about organized criminal networks, money laundering and labor abuses linked to PRC-connected enterprises operating in the CNMI.
The department acknowledged that the suspension could affect local businesses that had relied on tourism and commercial travel from China, as well as prospective travelers who might face financial losses or inconvenience. However, it said these concerns were outweighed by national security, immigration and law enforcement considerations.
The notice clarified that Chinese nationals seeking to visit the CNMI for business or pleasure would be required to obtain an appropriate nonimmigrant visa before traveling, unless another lawful exception applied.
The suspension does not reinstate the previous parole policy for Chinese nationals seeking entry to the CNMI, which was discontinued on February 20, 2025.
The program was introduced in 2024 as a restricted subprogram under the Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver framework, balancing the economic importance of Chinese tourism to the territory against national security, public safety and immigration concerns. The latest suspension will allow DHS, in consultation with the Departments of State and the Interior, to evaluate the program and measures to address the identified risks. (ANI)
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