The Saipan Chamber of Commerce is calling on top U.S. officials to ground their review of the Commonwealth’s travel‑screening programs in current data, saying the CNMI’s Economic Vitality & Security Travel Authorization Program, or EVS‑TAP, is a secure, narrowly tailored system essential to the islands’ economic stability.
In a March 24 letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Chamber President Dr. Joshua Wise said recent congressional concerns about birth tourism and immigration controls in the CNMI rely on outdated information and mischaracterizations of how EVS‑TAP operates.
“We share your commitment to ensuring that U.S. immigration policies protect national security while remaining effective and well‑informed,” Wise wrote, adding that the Chamber hopes to provide “a clearer understanding of the CNMI’s unique circumstances and the structure and intent of the programs in question.”
The Chamber emphasized that EVS‑TAP—implemented in 2024 after Section 902 consultations between the Trump administration and the CNMI government—replaced the former discretionary parole system with a more structured, federally overseen framework. The program allows a single stay of up to 14 days, requires mandatory electronic pre‑screening, and offers no path to extension or residency.
The Chamber highlighted new DHS data showing an EVS‑TAP overstay rate of about 0.25%, compared with a 1.63% overstay rate for Chinese B1/B2 visitors in FY 2024. According to the letter, this makes EVS‑TAP 552% more effective at preventing overstays than traditional U.S. visitor visas.
Wise said concerns about human trafficking and unlawful entry are tied to the former parole system, not EVS‑TAP, and noted that no such incidents have been reported in nearly two years following federal prosecutions.
The Chamber also pushed back on claims of ongoing birth tourism, citing data showing 3,427 births to tourists between 2010 and 2019, compared with 171 births from 2020 to 2025, or fewer than 30 per year. The letter states that the decline predates EVS‑TAP and reflects earlier policy reforms and enhanced screening.
With the CNMI’s economy still heavily dependent on tourism, the Chamber warned that broad restrictions or elimination of EVS‑TAP would have “significant adverse economic consequences” for local businesses and employment. The group urged federal agencies to balance national security priorities with the islands’ economic realities.
“We respectfully urge that any policy considerations affecting the CNMI be grounded in current data and an accurate understanding of existing programs,” Wise wrote.
