CNMI Del. Kimberlyn King‑Hinds warned that rolling back the Guam‑CNMI Visa Waiver Program or the EVS‑TAP travel authorization would trigger serious economic fallout for the Northern Marianas, saying current data does not support claims that birth tourism is overwhelming local health services.
King‑Hinds said she shares senators’ national security priorities but emphasized that “any assessment of risk must be grounded in accurate, up‑to‑date data.” She said tourist births of all nationalities have dropped sharply since reforms during the first Trump administration, and that resident and nonresident births now outnumber tourist births by roughly nine to one. “The Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation is not overwhelmed by foreign births,” she said.
CHCC’s birth statistics classify mothers in three categories: “resident” mothers are U.S. or Freely Associated State citizens who permanently live in the CNMI, as well as immediate relatives of U.S. or FAS citizens; “non‑resident” mothers are non‑citizens who have lived in the CNMI for months or years on short‑ or long‑term visas, most often employment‑based; and “tourist” mothers are foreign nationals, predominantly from Asia, who travel to the CNMI for only a few weeks specifically to give birth.
Her comments respond to a letter from Republican Sens. Rick Scott, Jim Banks and Markwayne Mullin urging the Departments of Homeland Security and the Interior to revoke EVS‑TAP for Chinese nationals and end Hong Kong’s participation in the broader visa waiver. The senators cited national security concerns, including past birth tourism, human‑smuggling cases and the legacy of the CNMI casino industry.
The senators said birth tourism surged after the programs were implemented. “Births by visiting Chinese mothers jumped from fewer than 10 annually in 2009 to nearly 600 by 2018, leading to more foreign births in Saipan than U.S. births,” they wrote.
CHCC data confirm a spike in 2018, when 574 Chinese tourist births were recorded, followed by a steep decline in subsequent years, reaching 55 in 2024.
Guam‑CNMI Visa Waiver Program
The Guam‑CNMI Visa Waiver Program, created under federal law in 2009, allows eligible nationals to enter Guam or the CNMI for up to 45 days without a visa for business or tourism. Participating countries include Australia, Brunei, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.
EVS‑TAP
The Economic Vitality and Security Travel Authorization Program, or EVS‑TAP, established by the Department of Homeland Security in 2024, permits prescreened travelers from the People’s Republic of China to visit the CNMI only for up to 14 days, with mandatory DHS vetting and electronic travel authorization prior to departure.
King‑Hinds said both programs are essential to the islands’ fragile tourism‑driven economy, which remains “on life support.” EVS‑TAP, she noted, was designed during the first Trump administration and implemented in 2025 to restore access to critical visitor markets and stabilize government revenues.
She also stressed that CNMI borders are fully controlled by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and that EVS‑TAP includes DHS‑run prescreening. “National security decisions should continue to rely on DHS assessments and enforcement expertise,” she said.
King‑Hinds said she welcomes continued dialogue with Senate and House colleagues, the administration and Commonwealth leaders, but emphasized that any discussion of visa‑waiver changes must include the CNMI government and reflect the territory’s unique economic and geographic realities.
Tourism stakeholders largely support the delegate’s position.
