US Senator Targets China Visa Waiver, Citing Security Risks and Exploitation

Scott said his One Nation, One Visa Policy Act would prohibit "Communist Chinese nationals from entering the United States without a valid visa and barring them from participating in any visa-free travel program, including the Guam-Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Visa Waiver Program."

The move follows what Scott described as "horrific reports" of exploitation of an Obama-era program that allows visa-free access to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).

"Communist China has a track record for exploiting America's weaknesses to advance its interests and undermine our national security, and the horrific reports of how they have exploited an Obama-era visa program are a prime example," Scott said.

"This program provided Chinese nationals a visa-free fast-track to US territories, allowing them to establish a backdoor breeding ground to infiltrate our nation," he added.

Scott said his bill "makes it crystal clear that no part of the United States, including our territories, will be abused by Communist China."

"It's time to shut Communist China's back door into our nation by eliminating this reckless program and ensuring the full vetting of any Chinese national who wishes to come to our nation," he said.

In a January 15 letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Scott and fellow Senators Jim Banks and Markwayne Mullin urged the administration to end what they called a "lingering Obama- and Biden-era policy" allowing Chinese nationals "to obtain fast-track American citizenship."

"This is a clear and significant short- and long-term national security risk," the senators wrote.

The letter cited a "Wall Street Journal investigation" that "highlights a related national security concern: Chinese nationals are increasingly using the US surrogacy system to obtain American citizenship for their children, often outside traditional immigration vetting processes".

It noted that in 2009, "former President Obama created a categorical parole program that enabled Chinese nationals to visit the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) without a tourist visa and the vetting that entails".

The Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program "allows holders of a Hong Kong passport visa-free access to the CNMI for up to 45 days at a time," while a 2024 Biden administration program "also allows Chinese nationals visa-free access to the CNMI for 14 days," the senators wrote.

According to the letter, "birth tourism in Saipan has exploded," with births by visiting Chinese mothers rising from "fewer than 10 annually in 2009 to nearly 600 by 2018".

The senators also alleged that some Chinese nationals had used visa-free travel to attempt unlawful entry into other parts of the United States, citing federal prosecutions related to smuggling operations between Saipan and Guam.

The CNMI is a US territory in the western Pacific. Under current rules, certain foreign nationals can enter under special visa-waiver arrangements unique to the territory.

The Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program was created in 2009 to promote tourism and economic activity in the islands. US territories fall under federal immigration law but may have limited, territory-specific travel provisions approved by the Department of Homeland Security.

- IANS