Feds seek to beef up screening process for CNMI-bound Chinese travelers

By Mar-Vic Cagurangan

Federal authorities will strengthen the vetting process for Chinese tourists seeking to travel to the Northern Marianas under the visa waiver program, amid growing security concerns over the entry of travelers from the communist nation.

The Department of Homeland Security is creating a new system that requires CNMI-bound travelers from China to submit advance information to Customs and Border Protection, enhancing background checks before clearing them for entry into the commonwealth.

"These travelers will also need to complete an additional set of vetting questions," DHS said in an interim final rule published Aug. 4 in the Federal Register.

The CNMI Economic Vitality & Security Travel Authorization Program allows Chinese citizens to enter the CNMI visa-free for 14 days. Under the current rule, Chinese passengers are required to obtain electronic travel authorization before departure.

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The CNMI government and business sector seek the preservation of the program to retain the Chinese market, which made up the bulk of the CNMI's tourism base before the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2019, the last full year before the pandemic, the CNMI welcomed 487,008 visitors, including 185,526 from China, then the islands’ second‑largest source market.

However, the program has been under congressional scrutiny.

House Republicans urge the Department of Homeland Security to halt the visa‑free admission for Chinese nationals, warning that the program paves the way for birth tourism and China's nefarious activities on U.S. soul.

The CNMI Economic Vitality & Security Travel Authorization Program a subset of the broader Guam‑CNMI visa waiver program, which allows citizens of designated countries to enter the U.S. territories for up to 45 days without a U.S. tourist visa.

Under the DHS's newly issued interim rule, CBP will fully automate the travel authorization and require additional data, including social media information, from prospective travelers.

While providing a social media identifier is optional, federal authorities said "adding these data elements enhances the existing vetting process and provides CBP with additional information to determine travelers' admissibility to enter Guam or the CNMI" under the visa waiver program.

"CBP intends to migrate from the paper Form I-736 process to a mandatory automated process via rulemaking," states the interim final rules.

The travelers' information will be pre-screened against law enforcement databases. "Based on the results of the pre-screening, the application is approved or denied," DHS said.

CBP will grant a transition period of three months to facilitate travelers adjusting to the new collection method.

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