DHS Pauses Chinese Visa-Free Travel to Northern Mariana Islands

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has suspended a visa-free travel program for Chinese nationals visiting the Northern Mariana Islands. The decision halts the Economic Vitality & Security Travel Authorization Program, which allowed prescreened Chinese citizens to enter the territory for up to 14 days without a visa. DHS stated that the move addresses concerns regarding birth tourism, espionage, and illegal travel to Guam.

The program was created in 2024 and took effect the following year. More than 3,000 Chinese nationals used this authorization to enter the Northern Mariana Islands in fiscal year 2025. While these travelers were screened by Customs and Border Protection, they did not require a visa from a U.S. consulate.

Republican lawmakers urged the department to end the arrangement earlier in the year. Senators Mike Lee, Rick Scott, John Cornyn, and Bill Cassidy warned Mullin in April that the program encouraged birth tourism and posed national security risks. Representatives Chip Roy and Tom Tiffany raised similar concerns in March. Lee posted on social media after the decision, stating that America is not a nursery for the Chinese Communist Party to steal citizenship.

The suspension takes effect at 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Oct. 30. It applies to both new applicants and travelers who have already received approval. Individuals currently in the territory under the program may finish their authorized stays. However, they will need a visa for any future visits unless another lawful exception applies.

DHS cited specific vulnerabilities in the notice. The department warned that reduced vetting under the program could lower barriers to birth tourism. This practice can strain the islands’ medical system, though the notice did not provide a specific number of births linked to the program. The islands are home to Tinian Air Base, and Guam hosts several military installations, raising concerns about intelligence gathering.

The department also pointed to previous cases where Chinese nationals were smuggled by boat from the Northern Mariana Islands to Guam. DHS noted that while the program did not permit direct travel to Guam, these incidents highlighted a vulnerability that the newer arrangement had not eliminated. The suspension will remain in place while DHS evaluates the program with the secretaries of state and the interior.

This action is part of a wider administration effort to address birth tourism. A State Department task force launched in August had revoked more than 750 visas tied to suspected birth tourism by late August. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said officials are working with international partners to identify travel patterns that point to networks helping visitors conceal their trip purposes.