DHS suspends visa-free travel program for Chinese nationals amid birth tourism, security concerns
"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," the notice says.
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DHS also said birth tourism can strain the islands’ medical system. The notice did not provide a number of births linked to travelers who entered through the program, formally known as the Economic Vitality & Security Travel Authorization Program.
The department 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, while Guam hosts several military installations.
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Although the program did not permit visitors to travel to Guam or the U.S. mainland, DHS cited previous cases involving Chinese nationals smuggled by boat from the Northern Mariana Islands to Guam. Those cases involved earlier travel policies or other streamlined arrangements, but DHS said they showed a vulnerability that the newer program had not eliminated.
The suspension comes as the Trump administration pursues a broader crackdown on birth tourism. A State Department task force launched Aug. 12 had revoked more than 750 visas tied to suspected birth tourism activity as of late August, the department previously told Fox News Digital.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott told Fox News Digital that officials were working with international partners and law enforcement to identify travel patterns that could point to birth tourism networks.
Pigott said some networks help visitors conceal the purpose of their trips and then coach them on how to avoid paying medical bills.
The Northern Mariana Islands program is separate from the visitor visa process targeted by those revocations.
Fox News Digital's Peter D'Abrosca contributed to this report.
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