White House border czar Tom Homan says federal agencies are “closing the channel” that lets Chinese nationals enter Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) for 14 days without visas—a program critics say fuels birth tourism and drug trafficking. In an Epoch Times interview aired Saturday, Homan called birth tourism a growing national-security risk and confirmed that DHS, State and Interior are drafting regulations to require visas for Chinese travelers to the U.S. Pacific territories. The crackdown follows a series of high-profile cases, including the 2025 conviction of Saipan business owner Fang Ye, who hosted more than 200 pregnant clients from China before turning to methamphetamine distribution. Republican lawmakers have introduced twin bills—H.R. 7780 and S. 3857—dubbed the “One Nation, One Visa Policy,” which would formally revoke the visa-waiver privilege. Opponents argue that ending the waiver could devastate the CNMI’s tourism-driven economy, where Chinese visitors once accounted for 40 percent of arrivals. Homan counters that national security outweighs economic concerns and points to the Supreme Court’s recent decision narrowing—but not eliminating—birthright citizenship as evidence that Congress must act. For global mobility teams, the message is immediate: Chinese employees planning short-notice travel to Guam or Saipan for meetings or conferences should anticipate a return to standard B-1/B-2 visa processing with associated interview backlogs. Companies may need to reroute travel through Hawaii or mainland hubs until rules are finalized. U.S.-territory hospitals that built maternity-tourism business models must also reassess revenue forecasts. Implementation details—including grace periods and possible exceptions for cruise passengers—are expected in a Federal Register notice later this fall. Stakeholders should monitor DHS announcements and prepare public-comment submissions to highlight commercial impacts.
Source: The Epoch Times
