‘Stranded alien worker books yet another flight today’

A longterm nonresident worker who was denied boarding a plane from the Philippines to the CNMI via Guam on Jan. 30 despite valid travel documents including a $360 advance parole hopes that this time around, Continental Micronesia will allow her to board the plane, Marianas Advocates for Humanitarian Affairs Ltd. founding president Rene Reyes said yesterday.

Reyes, a worker’s rights advocate, said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services granted the worker an advance parole that’s valid until Feb. 29, and the worker booked a flight for today.

“The worker booked a flight right away because she does not want to jeopardize her job here. She is supposed to leave Manila Monday and arrive on Saipan Tuesday. We hope that this time around, Continental will allow her to board the plane at the Manila airport,” Reyes told Saipan Tribune.

The stranded alien worker has a pending Commonwealth-only worker petition filed by her employer.

Reyes said the worker is considering suing Continental for refusing to board her on the night of Jan. 30 despite an advance parole that’s valid until Jan. 31.

“Somebody has to be made responsible for the physical and mental anguish she had to go through. When she wasn’t allowed to board the plane despite showing her valid documents, she was at a loss. Her job was in jeopardy, her advance parole was already expiring, and she was forced to sleep at the airport. She was also forced to sell her personal belongings so she could survive in Manila,” the MAHAL president said.

The worker, according to Reyes, asked that her name not be published at this time or the name of the Saipan company she works for.

Reyes reiterated that it’s disappointing to learn that Continental, the federal immigration office in Guam, and USCIS “may have not been coordinating” when it comes to honoring valid travel documents held by nonresidents in the CNMI.

Reyes also said the worker and MAHAL would like to thank certain individuals who have helped the worker secure a new advance parole expiring on Feb. 29, to allow her to return to the CNMI-that is, if Continental allows her to board the plane today and if federal immigration officers allow her to enter Guam and the CNMI.

The nonresident worker had to go back home to the Philippines because of a death in the family in December. Before leaving Saipan, she applied for a $360 advance parole which was issued on Jan. 19. She got the advance parole on Jan. 24. Because of unavailability of seats, she could only book a Jan. 30 return flight to the CNMI.

Many of the over 11,000 foreign workers in the CNMI with pending CW applications have yet to receive their CW permit/status, as USCIS was not able to meet a self-imposed deadline of Jan. 31, 2012 to adjudicate all the applications filed on or before Nov. 28, 2011. Because these workers’ status is still in limbo pending the release of decision on their CW petition, some workers are having second thoughts about going back home either for vacation or for emergency reasons.