The Hong Kong Express company forced a young woman to take a pregnancy test before authorizing her to board a flight to Saipan, a Pacific island belonging to the United States. The place is prized by mothers wishing to obtain American citizenship for their babies.
The incident, revealed by the Wall Street Journal , occurred in November. Midori Nishida, 25, was escorted to a public restroom at Hong Kong Airport. She had to do a urine test there which showed that she was not pregnant.
"Very humiliating and frustrating"
The young woman had however declared in a questionnaire at the recording that she was not expecting a child. But the staff of the company wanted to find out. "It was very humiliating and frustrating," Midori Nishida told the American daily. She grew up in Saipan, the largest of the Northern Mariana Islands. His family has lived for more than 20 years on this territory that became American at the end of the Second World War.
The airline said it apologized and "immediately suspended this practice which is under review." We would like to apologize for the distress caused, "said Hong Kong Express in a statement. The company said it had taken "measures on its flights to Saipan since February 2019 to ensure that US immigration laws are not undermined," in response to concerns raised by island authorities .
Visa exemption
Saipan is indeed a popular destination for women who wish to give birth there to obtain American citizenship for their child. In 2018, nearly 600 babies were born to tourists in the Northern Mariana Islands, a figure higher than the number of babies born to local inhabitants. According to data from local health authorities, 575 Chinese women gave birth there that year.
This influx follows the introduction in 2009 of a visa waiver measure designed to attract Chinese tourists. This program has made these islands the only American territory where Chinese citizens benefit from visa-free entry. But in recent years, Saipan has stepped up measures to curb this birth tourism by asking airlines to carry out controls.
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