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An indigenous advocate in the Northern Marianas is upset over birth tourism in the country.
Birth tourism is the practice of traveling to another country for the purpose of giving birth there. America's jus soli legal principle means babies born in the CNMI get US citizenship.
Liana Hofschneider wants a reassessment of the CNMI's Covenant Agreement with the US government as it pertains to the jus soli legal principle.
She raised concerns over health capacity, and the giving of citizenship to babies born to certain nationalities - pointing out China is not an ally of the US.
"As a Chamorro advocate, both the US and the CNMI government have to be concerned on the footprint impact on our environment, our natural resources, our access to quality healthcare, access to quality of life, access to our sacred spaces, and the risk and impact to our ancestral and indigenous rights to our land and ocean," she said.
"These are serious public policy concerns that need immediate attention at the national and state or local level.
"This US Citizenship and Immigration Service policy impacts self-governance and self-determination on the full and complete decolonization of the Chamorro because population migration was one of the considerations of Covenant Agreement."
CNMI delegate-elect Kimberlyn King-Hinds said the decision of non-citizens to travel to the CNMI to give birth is counter to the CNMI's goals of establishing a robust immigration and visitor system that will be crucial to the sustainability of their most important industry.
"Like all issues there are several ways our community can address this issue without harming the ability of our people to maintain employment in the tourism sector," she said.
"The forthcoming implementation of CNMI Economic Vitality & Security Travel Authorization Program, or EVS-TAP, will provide greater safeguards to screening and processing visitors - a change that is welcomed and long needed."
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The EVS-TAP was first proposed in 2019 and aims to enhance security measures while ensuring the orderly entry of Chinese nationals for tourism purposes. It involves electronic screening, a maximum 14-day stay, and additional security measures for PROC nationals.
CNMI House Representative Edwin Propst said while birth tourism is a concern, "my greatest concern is the possible smuggling of meth, fentanyl, and human trafficking".
Propst also encouraged CNMI leaders to consider quality over quantity when it comes to choosing the right tourism market for the CNMI.
"We have proponents of China here that want to open the floodgates to China and allow unlimited direct flights from China, because the ultimate goal is to bring in as many tourists as possible. That's been our longstanding problem.
"There are lobbyists here who strictly want to invest and support quantity of tourists versus the quality of tourists.
"If all we are receiving are low-budget tourists who have come here on prepaid package tours, when do we see them spending money here? Are they dining at local restaurants and shopping at local stores and partying at local bars, or are they just staying in their hotels and touring around on a prepaid hotel car package deal?"
In 2019, the CNMI House of Representatives passed a joint resolution essentially saying the CNMI Legislature is open to limiting birthright citizenships in the Commonwealth.
But this is not a law and merely conveys the sentiment of the CNMI Legislature.
