‘We don’t want to lose economy’

Alex Sablan, chairman of the Northern Marianas Business Alliance Corp., is joined here by NMBAC members Perry Inos Jr., Viola Alepuyo, Marian Aldan-Pierce, Velma Palacios, and Gloria Cavanagh. (Bea Cabrera)

Gov. Ralph Torres is going to Washington, D.C. Officials of the Northern Marianas Business Alliance Corp. are also headed there, bringing the hopes of many island businesses to obtain a reprieve on a planned cut to the number of foreign workers the CNMI can hire.

Meanwhile, many businesses in the CNMI are wringing their hands at possible losses if these lobbying efforts come to naught, describing it as a looming economic Armageddon for the islands.

“We do not want to lose this economy. That is why we are asking for the whole-hearted support of the community, elected officials, and business community to prevent this,” said Alex Sablan, who chairs the NMBAC.

U.S. Citizenship Immigration Services had announced last week that it would cut 3,000 slots from the 12,998 workers allowed last fiscal year under the CNMI-Only Transitional Worker program, or CW program.

NMBAC is proposing amendments to the immigration provisions of Public Law 110-229, which placed CNMI immigration under federal control and gave birth to the CW program in 2009.

“The officers of NMBAC is set to be in Washington, D.C. from Dec. 11 to 15 because we want a conversation with USCIS and leadership in D.C. about the effects of reducing this CW number because this is the start of the downfall of our economy, of our people, and we need them to understand the implications,” Sablan said.

“We have a list of provisional changes to the actual written legislation that we would like to happen with respect to P.L. 110-229,” he added.

Sablan said that NMBAC believes the amendments they are proposing will make P.L. 110-229 more responsive and viable to the growing economy of the CNMI.

“First, we are asking for an increase in CW [slots] to 18,000. This is not NMBAC determining this; this was after a good number of months, sitting down with current leadership, understanding what is in the pipeline and development that is coming forward in the Commonwealth. What we tried to do is implement a 15,000 count for Saipan and 3,000 for Tinian and Rota to ensure that their economy is protected,” he said.

“Second, we are asking for 10 years—Dec. 31 2019, to Dec. 31, 2029—with the caveat that we have a five-year U.S. Government Accountability Office report that determines the continued need to extend the program. We would reinstate the discretionary authority to the Department of Homeland Security and [U.S.] Department of Labor secretaries to review the need and continue the program as well,” Sablan said.

“We want to revert back to the administration and not have continual congressional passage of this provision. We are asking for the 10 [years] and an additional 10 as the secretaries see fit,” Sablan added.

“Third deals with the parole program. Dealing with the parole program is a very temporary issue because currently, it could be changed at the drop of the hat by the signature of the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and is not somewhat permanent like the visa waiver program for tourists from other countries like Japan, Korea, Hong Kong,” Sablan said.

“We want to establish a firm footing in our tourism market and China being a very big component of that. …This requires an agreement between the governors of Guam and the CNMI called bifurcation, where Guam and the CNMI governors will agree to separate the system,” Sablan added.

While it is currently called the Guam-CNMI visa waiver program, Sablan said this will be divided into the CNMI visa waiver program and Guam visa waiver program.

“They will agree on certain countries for the approval of the Department Homeland Security, having the Philippines, Taiwan, or Vietnam or the CNMI and adding China as an official visa waiver country. Through bifurcation, we believe we will find firm footing in our ability to make the system more permanent versus a parole program,” he said.

“Fourth, we want a prevailing wage for the actual CW visa. The rationale in this process is that all visas today in the USCIS system already require a prevailing wage to be implemented, whether they are H1 or H2. You have to have a prevailing wage attached to it so why not the CW?”

“There is an idea that foreign national workers experience suppressed wages in the Commonwealth, so the [best] way…is to implement a prevailing wage for CW that will make it equal for all workers in the CNMI,” Sablan said.

“Another provision we feel is important for the Commonwealth is to have tools to ensure that U.S. citizens are getting jobs first and foremost. It is a same tool that the governor of Guam has. Guam Department of Labor reviews documents, approves them to make sure that there is no U.S. citizen qualified worker, and they send it along to USCIS for processing for particular H1, H2 visa,” Sablan added.

According to Sablan, NMBAC would like to have the same process implemented by the CNMI governor through the CNMI Secretary of Labor.

“This will ensure that U.S. citizens get job placements first. This will also ensure that we are utilizing the CW visa system, recognizing quota that we are given and not shortchanging the hospital and other services, industries, and even the small mom-and-pop stores of the Commonwealth,” he said.

Sablan said that they started a signature drive effective yesterday where they will give out packets and ask for the public’s assistance to help answer and review the packets and the information gathered will be used by NMBAC going to D.C.

“We are hopeful that through this message, this information that we are providing in the signature drive will help the community understand how serious the reduction is,” he said.

“We hope to accumulate 20,000 or more signatures from the community. We have a survey for the business community, asking questions how the reduction will impact their business economically and a joint resolution from the House and Senate that is set to be heard next week,” he added.

Sablan urges the public to support the signature drive.

“We asking each and everyone in the CNMI that if you believe in this economy, if you see a future for the CNMI, this process will give us enough support when we go to D.C. and present thousands of signatures that we in the CNMI are speaking with one voice,” he said.

An NMBAC signature drive booth was at the Thursday Night Market.