releases: http://sablan.house.gov/nmi-taps-dhs-chinese-govt-asiana-airlines
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| http://sablan.house.gov/nmi-taps-dhs-chinese-govt-asiana-airlines | NMI taps DHS, Chinese govt, Asiana Airlines | 2013-11-12 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Independent | Senate | MP | Gregorio Sablan | S001177 | sablan.house.gov | legacy | Weeks after national media put the CNMI on the spotlight over incidences of mostly Chinese “tourists” coming to Saipan to give birth, Gov. Eloy S. Inos and Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) said yesterday they are now working with Asiana Airlines, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the Chinese government to further minimize—if not totally eliminate—the so-called “birth tourism” here. “Birth tourism” refers to travel for the purpose of giving birth to an automatic U.S. citizen child in the CNMI or any other U.S. state or territory. Inos and Sablan said a closer scrutiny found that most of those who come to Saipan solely to give birth do so by boarding Asiana Airlines’ scheduled commercial flights. This is contrary to reports that birth tourists were brought here through charter flights, whose travel agents have long put in place strict procedures to deter birth tourism. Asiana Airlines has agreed to be more vigilant in screening their passengers, Inos and Sablan said. “It could be a liability, too [for Asiana Airlines],” the governor said. Inos said it would be to Asiana Airlines’ benefit “to make sure that those things don’t happen” because, among other things, the airline has to immediately bring back those passengers that were not allowed entry to the CNMI for improper or lack of required documentation. “And so the airline would have to pick up that cost; you have to bump somebody off going back on that flight just to make sure [those turned away are sent back immediately]. So it’s an incentive for them to do the right thing,” Inos said. But more still needs to be done, including for Asiana Airlines to identify, for example, certain independent travel agents that book flights for birth tourists. “That’s where we have to zero in. We’re not too concerned about the chartered ones; we know they’re controlled by just two travel agencies,” the governor said. He said despite strict policies in place, there could still be some that will slip through the cracks. Inos said people can’t be sent away “just because they’re pregnant.” He said they have to have proper documentation, among other things. Their main concern is the health of these tourists coming in. The governor and the delegate said the two travel agencies based in the CNMI have been chartering flights between Saipan and China—Century Tours/Tinian Dynasty and TDI—but they have been carefully screening their business partners in China to avoid activities ‘Small’ issue It was the governor’s and the delegate’s first joint news briefing since Inos became governor in February. At the briefing, Sablan and Inos repeatedly said birth tourism in the CNMI is “small” compared to what’s happening in U.S. states, especially on West Coast. Both officials, however, could not say how many Chinese “tourists”—as opposed to Chinese residents—gave birth to the CNMI in recent period. They also could not say the number of individuals that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has sent back to their country of origin for not meeting documentation requirements for certain pregnant tourists and their companions. The key issue, according to Inos and Sablan, is that the CNMI is doing all it can to ensure that a “small” issue becomes “much, much smaller.” “I don’t know if we can eliminate, but maybe minimize this thing. We haven’t seen any major increase in this situation. In fact we’re seeing less and less. But it only takes one incident to really blow this out of proportion but we’re dealing with it,” the governor said. The governor also pointed out that the CNMI has never made any announcement nor intended to become a destination for birth tourism. He added that when the CNMI was still in control of its borders, there was also strict review of visitors’ entry permit to deter questionable activities. Inos conceded that when the CNMI gained access to Chinese tourists without U.S. visas and the CNMI being the “closest U.S. border, the focus has shifted over to the CNMI.” But the governor pointed out that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has done a “great job” securing the CNMI’s borders. The governor also said the recent incident wherein a pregnant Chinese broke her water bag at the airport “shouldn’t happen here.” Sablan said the individual “should not have boarded the flight.” The United States is one of a few countries that observe jus soli, which grants automatic citizenship to children born within its territory, regardless of the parents’ nationality or citizenship. Risks to CNMI Sablan said the CNMI wants to ensure the issue becomes too insignificant so as not to risk the U.S. visa waiver for CNMI-bound Chinese tourists. DHS’ decision to waive U.S. visa requirement for Chinese and Russian tourists has brought substantial tourism economic activities to the CNMI. Once DHS decides to lift that waiver, the impact on the CNMI would be devastating. “China [arrival] is huge for us here and we want to make sure it continues to grow. There may be ways that I don’t think I’m at liberty to discuss. There may be ways to do this in an amicable manner and we’re working with federal partners,” Sablan said. The delegate said the CNMI continues to welcome tourists from China to enjoy the CNMI’s “beautiful islands,” “great weather” and “gorgeous waters.” The governor, for his part, said the CNMI—particularly the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.—is also liable if the issue is not controlled. These include CHC accepting women to deliver babies without knowing whether they underwent prenatal checkup or their medical history. Moreover, these tourists are not eligible for Medicare and if the women are unable to pay, CHC takes on the burden. “What I’m saying is, if something happens along the way, the delivery or after delivery, say the baby is not functioning properly or something like that, and the mother just walked away, I hate to see that happen, but it could be a problem,” Inos said. But he said to his knowledge, no baby of a tourist has been abandoned at CHC. Moreover, those who come to the CNMI for birth tourism come financially prepared, the governor said. Inos also said one area that can be looked at is the private clinics that provide prenatal checkups to Chinese tourists. Working with Chinese government The governor, in responding to a media question, said his office has reached out to the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles, California to address the matter at hand. “ We’ve opened the door, we brought the subject up and they’re willing to sit down and discuss about this matter,” Inos said. Engaging the feds In April this year, Inos and Sablan jointly wrote a letter to DHS, seeking actions to address birth tourism. Sablan said he has been following this up with DHS and he expects to have another meeting with DHS when he gets back to Washington, D.C. this week. He said he continues to engage the CNMI’s federal partners. For example, the federal government could enter into an agreement with signatory airlines on additional conditions imposed on passengers that board the airlines. “We’re not there yet but Governor Inos and I have started engaging federal authorities,” the delegate added. High fees as deterrent The CNMI government is also looking at increasing the cost of baby delivery at CHC for tourists as “a “disincentive” or “deterrent” to birth tourism, and not as a revenue-generating measure for the hospital. “But listen, there’s a lot of money in China and they’re willing to pay whatever it costs to get their citizenship,” he said. He said any increased fee would have to vetted through regulatory process. The governor said he would also like to see a proposal to impose security deposit to ensure all expenses are covered. Earlier, the idea of raising the cost of a birth certificate from the current $20 to $50,000 for babies of tourists was also explored. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |