Fight takeover –– legislators

Stunned by the U.S. Senate’s approval of the federal immigration takeover bill, two members of the Legislature yesterday called for active lobbying campaign in Washington to block its passage in the House of Representatives.

To draw support from the lower house, a delegation from the CNMI should also travel to the U.S. capital to personally appeal against the legislation that will extend federal immigration laws to the island.

S. 1052 was passed by the nation’s senators on Monday, becoming the first measure to reach both chambers of the bicameral body in Washington D.C. amending CNMI’s self-governing status as provided under the Covenant.

It is now up for review in the lower house where it is expected to receive strong opposition from the Republican majority who have vowed in the past to scrap legislation stripping CNMI’s control over local immigration, minimum wage and custom standards.

But House Floor Leader Oscar M. Babauta expressed worry over the lack of CNMI’s representation in the nation’s capital to ensure that the island’s concerns are heard by U.S. lawmakers.

“The Senate has disregarded the provisions of the Covenant which gave us the right to develop a self-sustaining economy,” he told in an interview. “It’s said that they never considered the fact that we are isolated from America.”

In testimonies presented to a hearing conducted last year by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee which deals with island officials, CNMI leaders opposed the measure due to its impact on local economy.

Moreover, automatic application of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act could only expose the Commonwealth to a wave of potential asylum seekers and illegal immigrants as what happened on Guam, according to Mr. Babauta.

He stressed the island government must intensify its lobbying campaign to persuade the House not to consider the Senate proposal.

“Our new leadership in the Legislature will be actively pursuing the rejection of the bill. We will engage vigorously in an information campaign to let them know about the real conditions of the island,” said the representative.

Mr. Babauta added they may travel to Washington D.C. at the end of the first regular session of the House to meet with key members of Congress and other major players there.

Sen. Ramon S. Guerrero, on the other hand, decried failure by the island government to send the message across to Congress that a federal takeover will spell disaster for the island with limited human resources.

“Our leaders did not emphasize their concerns enough, that had they lobbied hard against passage of the bill, it would have been a very different outcome,” he said in a separate interview.

Mr. Guerrero backed efforts to appeal to the House, noting that it is the only way for the CNMI to stave off enactment of the legislation. “It’s disastrous to even think about it. We’re not ready for that,” he said.