Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, blasted the Biden administration on Monday for dismissing concerns raised last year about a policy loophole that could allow U.S. islands to be invaded by Chinese nationals.

According to the New York Post, select Chinese nationals can travel to the U.S.-held Northern Mariana Islands without a visa and stay for up to two weeks under a visa waiver program.

The chain of 14 islands officially became a U.S. territory in 1986 and lies slightly north of the island of Guam, where several key military installations are located.

“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Communist Party] espionage, the Biden administration dragged their feet for four months and now is defending an outdated policy,” Ernst told the Post.

In a Nov. 30 letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Ernst warned that Chinese spies could take advantage of the policy.

“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 U.S. territories for any malign activity.”

In its response last week, the DHS reportedly claimed to be “vigilant in its screening and vetting duties.”

The Post reported that the DHS used “discretionary authority” in 2009 to establish the visa-waiver program for Russian and Chinese nationals seeking to travel to the Northern Mariana Islands, and Ernst said in her letter that individuals must only have a Chinese passport valid for six months after the visit and be able to prove that they intend to leave within 14 days.

A signatory on Ernst’s letter, Rep. Neal Dunn, R-Fla., has also been critical of the visa-waiver program and sounded the alarm over the possibility of Chinese espionage in the House.

“DHS has responded with willful ignorance of ongoing national security concerns,” Dunn told the Post. “[DHS officials] fail to see why it’s critical that we must implement the requirement of a B-1/B-2 visa to enter … to successfully deter the Chinese Communist Party’s aggression and transnational repression.”

“Law enforcement does an outstanding job capturing those with ill-intent, but look how DHS handles our border crisis,” he continued. “We cannot risk the same thing occurring in the [Northern Mariana Islands].”

In response to Ernst and Dunn, DHS official Zephranie Buetow said that Chinese citizens cannot travel from the Northern Mariana Islands to other destinations.

“[Chinese] nationals may travel to the CNMI without a visa for the purpose of a temporary visit for business or pleasure for up to 14 days; they are not authorized for employment,” Buetow told the Post. “Individuals without a visa are not authorized to travel to other parts of the United States, including Guam. When these individuals are encountered at CNMI airports, U.S. Customs and Border Protection will prohibit their onward travel to other U.S. destinations.”

According to Buetow, U.S. officials, “where necessary,” have also been “denying entry to high-risk travelers” looking to exploit the visa-waiver program.

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