DHS Suspends a Visa-Free Travel Program for Chinese Nationals Visiting the Northern Mariana Islands, Citing Birth Tourism and Espionage Risks
Secretary Markwayne Mullin ends a Biden-era program that let prescreened Chinese visitors stay up to 14 days without a visa. The suspension starts Oct. 30 at 2 p.m. EDT. Sens. Mike Lee and others had pushed for it since April.
The Department of Homeland Security is suspending a visa-free travel program for Chinese nationals visiting the Northern Mariana Islands, Fox News reports.
The decision. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is ending a program that let prescreened Chinese nationals visit the U.S. territory for up to 14 days without a visa. In its notice, DHS cited the risk of birth tourism, espionage and illegal onward travel to nearby Guam, a key U.S. military hub.
The numbers. The program, formally the Economic Vitality & Security Travel Authorization Program, was created in 2024 and took effect the next year. DHS says more than 3,000 Chinese nationals used it to enter the islands in fiscal year 2025. Customs and Border Protection screened them, but they did not need a visa from a U.S. consulate.
The timing. The suspension takes effect at 2 p.m. EDT on Oct. 30 and covers new applicants and travelers who were already approved. People already in the territory may finish their authorized stays but will need a visa for future visits unless another lawful exception applies. It stays in place while DHS reviews the program with the secretaries of state and the interior.
The pressure behind it. Sens. Mike Lee, Rick Scott, John Cornyn and Bill Cassidy urged Mullin in April to end the program. Lee wrote on X, "America is not a nursery for the CCP to steal citizenship." Rep. Chip Roy's office said he and Rep. Tom Tiffany raised concerns in March.
The security argument. DHS noted the islands host Tinian Air Base and that visa-free travel could be used to gather intelligence near military sites. It pointed to earlier cases of Chinese nationals smuggled by boat from the islands to Guam, though those involved earlier policies or other arrangements. The program did not allow travel to Guam or the U.S. mainland.
Note for readers: DHS's notice did not say how many births are linked to travelers who came in through this program. Its birth-tourism warning is about risk, not a counted result. The wider crackdown figure Fox cites, more than 750 visas revoked by late August, comes from the State Department and covers a separate visa process.