Can an American born Chinese girl apply for a visa in NYS to visit her parents in China or

does she have to apply for a travel permit? Her sister born in 2000 gets a visa but currently she gets a travel permit and she was born in 2002. Why is it different? They both have US passports and social security numbers. Their parents are in China. They come to NYS to get their education and fly home for the summer. Their parents were studying here when the two girls were born. I can't get the consulate to give me a direct answer.