32 U.S House and Senate lawmakers signed a letter sent to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas expressing their concern about the U.S. visa policy for Chinese nationals entering the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 

"I warned people about this, maybe unofficially or informally over discussions like, ‘Be careful what you ask for.’ Be careful how much push you have because until things stabilize maybe this is not the time to be talking about this," CNMI Gov. Arnold Palacios told KUAM News on Monday.

The lawmakers say the CNMI is the only U.S. territory where Chinese nationals can enter without a visa for up to 14 days. They describe the standards as “extremely low.”

KUAM asked Palacios if he supported the letter or would push back. He said, "I am not going to push back against it, I think, it's pretty much a done deal with the Congress. I'm not going to change the members of Congress’ mindset on this."

KUAM News asked, "What do you say to those who are concerned, to those who say we need that third market and it has to be China because it is immediate and we have done it before?"

Palacios responded, "Well, obviously, the tourists have to be vetted. Certainly what has happened with sort of a wide-open visa waiver, which created a problem that created issues, albeit maybe unintended. Right. But it's it's going against the grain of national security."

The Senators and Representatives, which also include Guam Del. James Moylan and American Samoa Del. Amata Radewagen, write that the policy has made the islands vulnerable to issues such as drug trafficking, illegal immigration, and organized crime. CNMI Del. Gregorio Sablan did not sign the letter. KUAM News has reached out to the delegate for comment. 

The lawmakers want DHS to change the visa policy and apply requirements equally across territories. The lawmakers urge the implementation of a requirement to obtain a B-1/B-2 visa to enter the CNMI from China for business or tourism.

Back on Saipan, the Governor says he knew it was a sensitive issue from the start.

Palacios added, "I thought that visa waiver and that market was very sensitive given the geopolitical situation that we were in. And so I made the decision, I made that statement saying that, hey, we need to look for another market that's more stable."

Where that market is and if it’ll be enough to save the economy remains to be seen.