By Emmanuel T. Erediano
emmanuel@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
U.S. Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds does not believe that changes to the CNMI-Guam Visa Waiver Program or the Economic Vitality & Security–Travel Authorization Program or EVS-TAP are warranted at this time, noting that births by tourists have declined significantly.
King-Hinds made the comments in reaction to a call by Republican Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, Jim Banks of Indiana, and Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma to end the program, claiming it “has opened the United States to significant security threats by creating a veritable cottage industry of Chinese nationals giving birth in the [Mariana Islands] and gaining access to U.S. citizenship.”
In a statement, King-Hinds said she appreciates the senators’ focus on national security and their engagement on issues affecting the CNMI. She said safeguarding the homeland while ensuring the long-term stability of U.S. communities and territories are shared priorities.
However, based on current data and conditions in the CNMI, the congresswoman said she does not believe changes to the CNMI-Guam Visa Waiver Program or the EVS-TAP program are warranted based on claims that birth tourism is “overwhelming” the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. She said births from tourists of all nationalities have declined significantly since reforms implemented during President Donald Trump’s first term, and that resident and nonresident births in the CNMI today outnumber tourist births by approximately nine to one.
“The Commonwealth Health Center is not overwhelmed by foreign births,” she said.
King-Hinds added that it is also important to consider the broader national context.
“Millions of Chinese nationals travel to the mainland United States each year under existing visa authorities, and foreign births nationwide far exceed those occurring in the CNMI. Any assessment of risk should be grounded in current data and an accurate understanding of local conditions,” she said.
She stressed that tourism remains the backbone of the CNMI economy, which she said is “currently on life support.”
The EVS-TAP program under the CNMI-Guam Visa Waiver Program, she said, was developed to provide access to critical visitor markets in order to support economic stability and government revenues. She noted that the program was designed during the first Trump administration and implemented in 2025. Abrupt changes to lawful travel programs would have significant economic consequences that should be carefully weighed alongside security considerations, she said.
King-Hinds also noted that the CNMI’s borders are fully controlled by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and that EVS-TAP includes a Department of Homeland Security-administered vetting process that screens travelers prior to departure. National security decisions, she said, should continue to rely on DHS assessments and enforcement expertise.
She said she welcomes continued dialogue with her Senate and House colleagues, the administration, and Commonwealth leaders to ensure that federal policies both protect national security and reflect the unique economic and geographic realities of the Northern Marianas.
Any discussion of changes to the CNMI-Guam Visa Waiver Program must meaningfully include the Commonwealth government, reflect accurate and up-to-date data, and recognize the unique economic and geographic circumstances of a U.S. territory that has few alternatives to tourism, she said.
Emmanuel “Arnold” Erediano has a bachelor of science degree in Journalism. He started his career as police beat reporter. Loves to cook. Eats death threats for breakfast.
