U.S. Congressman Tiffany Concerned About Birth Tourism in Saipan

House Republicans expressed concern about birth tourism on Saipan at a press conference in Washington D.C. today where they discussed a bill that would end U.S. birthright citizenship.

Rep. Tom Tiffany from Wisconsin commented on the matter today. He said, 'Just think about the great threat to our foreign policy that happens as a result of this. So it is time to close this up.'

Marianas Press has reached out to Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds’ office for comment. King-Hinds responded: 'I agree with Congressman Tiffany that birth tourism is an issue that is important. The congressman is possibly working with outdated information however and I am looking forward to meeting with him to discuss data I have collected from CHCC on tourist births, that has dramatically fallen, as well as the progress to the process of foreign entry into the CNMI that began with the first Trump administration. I understand birthright citizenship is an important conversation now, but it’s useful to remember that we received birthright citizenship through the covenant and not necessarily the 14th amendment, and the CNMI has previously provided Congress consent in 2019 to address the issue.'

Meanwhile, as national attention is on the CNMI regarding birth tourism amid conversations about ending birthright citizenship, Marianas Press obtained the number of 'live births by mother’s resident classification' from the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation.

According to CHCC, the peak for births by tourists was in 2018 at 581. It has significantly declined in recent years, though there has been a slight increase in the past four years. In 2024, there were 58 births by tourists compared to 37 in 2023, and 3 in 2021 and 2022.