Several Republican lawmakers are raising concerns about whether immigration policies in a U.S. Pacific territory could be allowing Chinese nationals to exploit birthright citizenship laws.
According to Fox News, in a letter sent Monday, Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, Rep. Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin, and 32 other House Republicans asked federal officials to provide more information about immigration programs and births involving Chinese nationals in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
The letter was addressed to outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
Lawmakers said they want clarity on whether policies in the territory have created opportunities for what is often called “birth tourism,” where foreign nationals travel to U.S. soil to give birth so their children receive American citizenship.
“American citizenship is a sacred trust — not a loophole to be exploited,” Roy said.
“When foreign adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party can leverage birth tourism and visa-less programs to gain influence within our borders, we must restore integrity to our immigration system and defend the sovereignty of our Republic.”
The Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory in the Pacific, operates under certain immigration rules that differ from those on the mainland.
However, children born there are granted U.S. citizenship under the 14th Amendment, just like children born in any U.S. state.
Tiffany argued that some Chinese nationals have used this system to secure citizenship for their children.
“Communist China has exploited ‘birth tourism’ by sending women to the Northern Mariana Islands solely to give birth and secure U.S. citizenship for their children,” Tiffany said.
“It is time to close this loophole, end the abuse, and protect our national security.”
In their letter, the lawmakers requested detailed data from federal agencies.
They asked how many children have been born in the territory since 2009 to at least one Chinese national parent, how many of those individuals are now adults, and how many are registered to vote.
They also asked whether any such individuals have documented connections to the Chinese Communist Party.
The lawmakers further requested information about how many Chinese nationals have entered the Northern Mariana Islands through immigration programs that apply specifically to the territory.
Their concerns also reference reports estimating that between 750,000 and 1.5 million Chinese nationals have obtained U.S. citizenship through birthright policies and birth tourism.
However, the lawmakers acknowledged that federal agencies have not publicly verified those figures.
Birth tourism has previously been the subject of federal investigations.
In several cases, particularly in California, prosecutors charged operators of birth tourism businesses with visa fraud and conspiracy for helping foreign nationals misrepresent their reasons for entering the United States.
Immigration policies in the Northern Mariana Islands have changed over time.
In 2009, the Obama administration introduced a categorical parole program that allowed some Chinese nationals to enter the territory without a standard tourist visa.
Later, in 2024, the Biden administration created the Economic Vitality & Security Travel Authorization Program, which permits certain Chinese nationals to visit the islands visa-free for short stays.
Roy and Tiffany argue that these policies may have contributed to an increase in births involving foreign visitors in Saipan, the capital of the islands.
They also noted that once U.S.-born children turn 21, they can petition for lawful permanent residency for their parents, potentially creating additional immigration pathways.
The lawmakers asked the administration to provide a full accounting of birth tourism involving Chinese nationals and urged officials to end any parole or visa-waiver programs in the Northern Mariana Islands that apply to them.
