A travel program that allowed Chinese nationals to visit the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands without obtaining a visa will be suspended.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a halt to the Economic Vitality and Security Travel Authorization Program (EVS-TAP) in a federal register notice published on Oct. 27. The suspension takes effect on Oct. 30.
It stated that Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin had determined that there was “good cause” to suspend the program, citing threats that could undermine U.S. national security and law enforcement interests.
Established in 2024, EVS-TAP enabled more than 3,000 Chinese nationals to visit the Northern Mariana Islands in fiscal year 2025 through a streamlined authorization process. The travelers were vetted by Customs and Border Protection rather than State Department consular officers, according to the department.
“This volume of visa-exempt entries presents unacceptable security and law enforcement risks,” it stated.
The department cited concerns that the program could be exploited to facilitate Chinese espionage and intelligence gathering targeting sensitive U.S. defense infrastructure in the region. The Northern Mariana Islands lie in close proximity to Guam, which serves as a key U.S. military hub.
According to the notice, the Department of War has been working to restore the Tinian Air Base in the Northern Mariana Islands to support U.S. military strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific.
“Despite the strict regulatory prohibition against PRC nationals traveling beyond the CNMI, PRC nationals have the ability to illegally travel from the CNMI to Guam aboard smuggling vessels,” it stated, using the acronym for the People’s Republic of China.
The department also warned that Chinese nationals could enter the islands using the program to engage in birth tourism, a scheme in which individuals travel to the United States under pretenses to give birth and secure U.S. citizenship for their children.
“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,” it stated.
The suspension would apply to future and active applications, while those already admitted to the Northern Mariana Islands under the program could remain for the duration of their authorized stays, according to the notice.
In April, Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) called for termination of the Biden-era visa policy, warning that the program posed national security threats and encouraged illegal drug trafficking and birth tourism.
Lee welcomed the department’s decision via social media, saying it would close a loophole that allowed Chinese nationals to engage in birth tourism through the travel program.
“America is not a nursery for the CCP to steal citizenship,” the senator said in a post on X, referring to the Chinese Communist Party.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) also celebrated the move, saying that he and Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) had flagged in March Chinese nationals’ potential misuse of the program for birth tourism.
Roy’s office posted on X that the lawmaker “is pleased to hear the Trump Admin closed this dangerous loophole that allowed endless numbers of Chinese nationals to enter the U.S. WITHOUT a visa.”
