The Department of Homeland Security is suspending a Biden-era program that let Chinese nationals visit the Northern Mariana Islands without a visa, and its own notice gives no number of births tied to it.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin made the decision, Fox News reports. The program let prescreened Chinese nationals visit the U.S. island territory for up to 14 days. DHS cited concerns about birth tourism, espionage and illegal onward travel to nearby Guam, a key hub for the U.S. military.
The suspension takes effect at 2 p.m. EDT on Oct. 30. It covers new applicants and travelers who have already been approved. People already in the territory under the program may finish their authorized stays. They will need a visa for future visits unless another lawful exception applies.
DHS says the suspension stays in place while it evaluates the program with the secretaries of state and the interior.
The program is formally the Economic Vitality & Security Travel Authorization Program, or EVS-TAP. It was created in 2024 and took effect the following 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 have to get a visa through a U.S. consulate.
The notice makes the birth tourism case in its own words: "While birth tourism has long been an issue in the CNMI, the availability of visa-exempt travel and reduced vetting under EVS-TAP may lower barriers to this practice." DHS also says birth tourism can strain the islands' medical system.
On security, DHS warned that visa-free travel could be exploited for intelligence gathering near U.S. military facilities. The Northern Mariana Islands are home to Tinian Air Base. Guam hosts several military installations.
The program did not allow travel to Guam or the U.S. mainland. DHS instead pointed to earlier cases of Chinese nationals smuggled by boat from the Northern Mariana Islands to Guam. Those cases involved earlier travel policies or other streamlined arrangements. DHS said they showed a vulnerability the newer program had not eliminated.
The move follows pressure from Republicans. Sens. Mike Lee of Utah, Rick Scott of Florida, John Cornyn of Texas and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana urged Mullin in April to end the program. They warned it encouraged birth tourism and posed national security risks. Rep. Chip Roy of Texas and Rep. Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin raised concerns in March, according to Roy's press office.
Lee celebrated on X.
America is not a nursery for the CCP to steal citizenship.
"Thank you, President Trump!" Lee added. Roy's office wrote on X: "Rep. Roy is pleased to hear the Trump Admin closed this dangerous loophole."
The suspension lands inside a wider birth tourism crackdown. A State Department task force launched Aug. 12 had revoked more than 750 visas tied to suspected birth tourism as of late August, the department previously told Fox News Digital. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said some networks help visitors hide the purpose of their trips and coach them on avoiding medical bills. The Northern Mariana program is separate from the visitor visa process those revocations targeted.
So you have a program with more than 3,000 users in fiscal 2025, a suspension effective Oct. 30, and a notice that provides no number of births linked to travelers who came in through it.