DOLI slams INS • Sec. Zachares says feds used CNMI as holding station for illegal Chinese to avoid asylum issue

Labor and Immigration Secretary Mark Zachares yesterday assailed the federal government for its hypocrisy in using the CNMI immigration laws when it transferred the illegal Chinese immigrants from Guam to Tinian to make sure that they cannot seek political asylum.

The US Immigration and Naturalization Service had claimed that overcrowding in the Hagatna Department of Corrections had forced them to divert to Tinian boatloads of Chinese illegals believed to be victims of human smuggling. Many of these illegals pay as much as $5,000 to be able to enter the neighboring island.

However, Zachares said this is far from the truth. “The only reason that they used Tinian was for diversion, to utilize our immigration laws here so that they would not be obligated to provide asylum,” he told members of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce.

INS made a decision to divert the illegal Chinese immigrants to Tinian four months ago when it realized the implications of its action after it brought an entire boatload of undocumented Chinese to Seattle, Washington on a chartered jet.

After the hearings were conducted in the United States, the Chinese were released with some of them transferring to as far as Honolulu while the others ended up in underground garment factories in New York.

Thus, the news that Chinese can just go to Guam and get a free ticket to the United States spread fast in the Fookien province. The INS in Guam can theoretically release the illegal Chinese who are being held in the corrections there as long as the asylum seeker has no criminal record.

Zachares lambasted the Clinton administration for its strong criticism on the CNMI government’s alleged failure to curb labor abuses and control the influx of illegal immigrants. But in getting rid of the illegal Chinese immigrants, the federal officials chose not to utilize the immigration laws in Guam and instead make use of the CNMI laws for its convenience.

“This is the same administration that called our immigration and labor (laws) to be against American values and that it should be changed. But it is good enough to use these for their own goals and for their own needs,” he said.

In one instance, a Chinese boat which was caught off the reef in Guam or about 100 yards away from the island was still towed away by the US Coast Guard to Tinian island in total disregard of humanitarian reason because it would benefit the US government. “But when it comes to benefiting the people of the CNMI and our economy, they look the other way. That is the ultimate hypocrisy of the Clinton administration,” Zachares said.

At least four boatloads of illegal Chinese who were caught while attempting to enter Guam illegally have been diverted to Tinian by the US Coast Guard. Last week, the federal government repatriated some 101 Chinese, ending their dream of landing a job in the US soil

This brings to 379 the number of undocumented Chinese nationals who are still staying in a tent city in the Northfield area of Tinian island.

According to the labor and immigration chief, he will bring up this double standard issue of implementing federal laws in the scheduled US Congress hearing this fall. Zachares said he wants the CNMI compensated for all its efforts in taking care of the undocumented Chinese in the island-municipality of Tinian.

Zachares also criticized the inability of federal authorities to make swift decisions on what to do with the illegal Chinese immigrants — from the simple problem of whether or not they will be allowed to take a shower to whether they would be allowed to change clothes because the US government apparently do no want to spend any money on them.

The Saipan Garments Manufacturers Association was tapped by DOLI to donate clothes and undergarments to hundreds of illegal Chinese as it was taking the federal government a long time to make such a decision. Local immigration officials immediately set up showers after public health officials reported that there has been an outbreak of scabies.

“They could not care less if these people have scabies. They could not care less where they slept and if they were wearing the same suits since they arrived. This is the same administration that talks about human rights and taking care of people,” Zachares said.

The CNMI is desperately seeking sympathetic support from Republicans who will dominate both Chambers of Congress in order to thwart fresh attempts of federal officials to take control of minimum wage and immigration which have strained relations between CNMI and Washington for the past several years.

Officials have raised the possibility that the area will be kept as a permanent holding station for illegals until their return to mainland China. Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio has earlier said he will work closely with the federal government to make sure that the health of the people are properly taken cared of.