Two Republican lawmakers ripped into the Biden administration Monday over its blasé reaction to concerns raised last year about an apparent carveout that lets Chinese nationals onto US soil without a visa.
Under the policy, certain Chinese nationals can enter the Northern Mariana Islands, an American territory roughly 1,600 miles east of the Philippines, without business or tourism visas for multiple weeks at a time.
“Instead of listening to my calls to close this gap and prevent further [Chinese Communist Party] espionage, the Biden administration dragged their feet for four months and now is defending an outdated policy,” Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) told The Post.
Ernst, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, had warned in a Nov. 30 letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas that the policy could be exploited by Chinese spies.
The Department of Homeland Security responded last week, insisting that it is “vigilant in its screening and vetting duties.”
“Make no mistake, they are putting our military secrets at risk,” Ernst said. “We must change this visa policy and put an end to Chinese nationals accessing our military installations on US territories for any malign activity.”
Read more here from the New York Post.
