The Marina Business Plaza - formerly Hyatt Regency hotel - in Saipan. Photo: Supplied
Leaders in the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) say there is no evidence to support calls by three United States Republican senators to end visa waiver programmes for Chinese and Hong Kong visitors.
CNMI's US delegate to the US House of Representatives Kimberlyn King-Hinds said data did not back claims that the visa waiver schemes pose a national security threat or are overwhelming local health services.
"The Commonwealth Health Center is not overwhelmed by foreign births," her office said, noting tourist births have declined and are now far outnumbered by resident births.
The senators - Rick Scott of Florida, Jim Banks of Indiana and Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma - have urged the US administration to cancel the programmes, citing concerns about birth tourism, human smuggling and long-term security risks linked to China.
The Marianas Visitors Authority said the visa waiver programme operates under federal oversight and has worked closely with US agencies to strengthen screening.
"The programme has consistently cooperated with the Department of Homeland Security to enhance safeguards," the tourism body said, disputing data cited by the senators as outdated.
The Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands warned that ending the visa waiver would hurt an economy still in recovery, calling it "a critical economic tool essential to the Commonwealth's stability."
The Saipan Chamber of Commerce said the senators' assumptions were misleading.
"We have an obligation as a community to correct misinformation and stand by the facts," Chamber president Joe Guerrero said.
However, independent candidate for U.S. delegate Galvin Sablan Deleon Guerrero supported tighter controls, saying, "While we should welcome tourists, we should not make ourselves vulnerable to bad actors or weaken national security."
Public reaction in the Northern Marianas has been mixed online.
Some social media users urged protection of the territory's tourism-dependent economy, warning that losing visa-free access would devastate local businesses.
Others backed stronger federal controls, saying national security and border integrity should take precedence.
