REIMBURSEMENT ROW NMI, OIA okay deal

After weeks of disagreement, CNMI and the federal government have finally struck a deal on the reimbursement of expenditures incurred from detaining and repatriating more than 600 illegal Chinese immigrants during the Tinian operations.

The U.S. Department of the Interior is paying about $754,000 in initial settlement of charges and billings from April to June, which the island government expects to receive anytime soon, according to Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio.

“The reimbursement is finished. We will get our money anytime now. We mutually agreed (on our differences),” he told reporters yesterday, when asked on the status of the negotiation.

Tenorio, however, declined to provide specific details of the agreement, saying only that it has been “executed” and that federal officials “are ready to send the money.”

Calling unfair the conditions attached to the initial deal, the Commonwealth protested a memorandum of agreement drafted by the Immigration and Naturalization Service that would facilitate payment of about $950,000 to settle the federal accounts.

Washington agreed to look into the concerns of the Commonwealth to resolve the disagreement, but warned that it would delay release of the money.

Tenorio said last week he would favor deferment in the payment until both parties come up with another deal, noting conditions set forth in the old MOA restricted the use of the money by the local government.

This week’s payment, which stalled for the last three weeks, comes ahead of a scheduled visit next week to the CNMI by Ferdinand Aranza, director of the DOI’s Office of Insular Affairs.

His office has been instrumental in negotiating release of close to $1 million in federal funds earmarked specifically for the CNMI, that will pay back the costs of providing assistance to U.S. authorities in handling the wave of undocumented aliens sent to Tinian from June to August for processing and documentation.

“I will be meeting with him and some of our staff (will also discuss with him) the assistance the Interior department can provide to the CNMI,” said Tenorio.

Aranza, scheduled to arrive Tuesday for a two-day visit, will also hold talks with members of the Legislature, but it is not certain what will be the topic of their discussion.

The Commonwealth, which controls its own immigration, had agreed to assist the White House in accommodating the wave of boat people attempting to enter Guam in an effort to deal with the worsening immigration crisis on the neighboring island.