A video report from the Northern Mariana Islands is circulating widely on X as the Trump administration continues its legal effort to roll back birthright citizenship in the United States.
The clip, reported by VOA News’ Elizabeth Lee from Saipan, follows a Chinese woman identified as Ye, who traveled to the U.S. territory to give birth and secure American citizenship for her child. Government records cited in the report state that around 3,300 babies have been born there to Chinese mothers.
Ye said she learned about Saipan through social media while searching for a place where she could deliver her baby.
“I didn’t have time to apply for a visa because it involves a wait time,” she said. “The pregnancy was a surprise. I picked this place because it was the place I could get to quickly to achieve what I wanted.”
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The report also shows Ye applying for a U.S. passport for her one-month-old daughter. Fearing that President Donald Trump’s immigration policies could affect the process, she chose to pay an additional fee for expedited service.
“I’m afraid the policy will be impacted now that Trump is president, so I paid extra to get the passport quicker,” she said.
The video has resurfaced as birthright citizenship returns to the center of the national immigration debate. Critics of the policy have long argued that some foreign nationals travel to the United States primarily to give birth so their children can obtain U.S. citizenship.
On his first day back in office, Trump signed an executive order aimed at ending automatic birthright citizenship for certain children born in the country. Speaking about the policy, he said, “We’re the only country in the world that does this with birthright, as you know. And it’s just absolutely ridiculous.”
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The executive order is currently facing legal challenges. The Trump administration has also asked the U.S. Supreme Court to rehear a case that could reshape how birthright citizenship is interpreted under the Constitution.
Even as the legal battle continues, Ye said she remains optimistic about her daughter’s future and her own.
“I feel once I get here, it’s a more humane place. For sure there will be a way to solve the challenges I’m facing,” she said.
The VOA report further noted that, since the end of last year, travelers from China have been required to apply online for a waiver and complete an electronic pre-screening process before they are permitted to enter the Northern Mariana Islands.