Talks end with no promises

U.S. government officials and the local administration yesterday ended their first series of meetings on the new immigration regulations, with Gov. Benigno R. Fitial making two requests of the visiting federal delegation.

First, Fitial asked to see a copy of the draft immigration regulations prior to publication. Second, he urged that the number of foreign workers in the Commonwealth be kept at its current level for the first two years of the transition period.

A news release issued by the Fitial administration quoted the federal officials as saying they would consider the governor’s requests.

Officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies tasked with drafting new federal labor and immigration rules for the CNMI came to the Northern Marianas last Friday to begin talks on the regulations. The delegation left yesterday.

According to the news release, Fitial thanked the group for the visit and described the initial discussions as “positive and productive.”

“I am glad that our visiting federal officials enjoyed a series of productive meetings with representatives of the public and private sectors in the Commonwealth,” said Fitial, who has announced plans to sue the U.S. government over the new immigration law.

“My administration is committed to meaningful negotiations with all the federal agencies involved in the implementation of the Northern Mariana Islands Immigration, Security and Labor Act,” he added.

Fitial expressed hope that the DHS would allow the CNMI government to see and comment on any draft regulations before they are published for public comment. He said the Commonwealth is not simply a member of the public in the matter.

“These regulations will surely impact the Commonwealth’s economy—and the Commonwealth’s future—in some very important respects. We need—and deserve—the opportunity to help shape the regulations in a timely manner. Our request extends also to the regulations relating to the visa waiver issues,” said Fitial.

The governor also requested that DHS consider not reducing the number of guest workers in the CNMI for the first two years of the transition program. He said there are new CNMI projects and investments that would be disrupted by a possible lack of labor force. He added that the CNMI needs more time to adjust to the new regulations.

Fitial also said, with more transition time, the federal agencies and the U.S. Congress “might be better guided by a more comprehensive understanding of the CNMI economy and the potential impact of the sweeping new federal labor and immigration law on the Commonwealth.”

He went on to refer to a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office on the new immigration law’s potential impact on the Commonwealth. Fitial, who has read the classified report, said, “I cannot believe that members of Congress would have approved this legislation if they had been made aware of the very serious damage to the CNMI economy that will likely result from the implementation of this law.”

Fitial noted that the legislation was amended substantially by the U.S. House of Representatives after the committee hearings in both houses of the U.S. Congress. The transition period was reduced from about nine and one-half years to five and one-half years. Other provisions of the bill relating to foreign labor in the CNMI during the transition period were also eliminated. The governor added that neither the Senate’s nor the House’s committee report offered an explanation for the changes.

The new immigration law requires the DHS and other federal agencies to publish the new regulations within 180 days of the law’s date of enactment. President Bush approved the immigration law in May 2008.