Dekada makes its move in DC

The Dekada Movement made its first major move in Washington, D.C. early this month to raise the awareness of U.S. Congress members and their staff concerning what it describes as the “inequitable situation” faced by long-term alien residents of the CNMI and the aspirations of Dekada members for an improved status.

Dekada president Bonifacio Sagana said yesterday that Dekada lawyer Stephen C. Woodruff pushed Dekada’s concerns to members of the House of Representatives through a combination of office visits and written communications from Oct. 5 to 9 of this year.

Since returning to Saipan, Woodruff said he has already received a follow-up call from a staffer working for House Resources Committee chair Rep. Richard Pombo (R-Calif.). Woodruff said the effort would continue on various fronts until positive results are achieved.

Dekada is a group spearheading efforts to obtain permanent residency status for its members, comprising nonresident workers who have been legally staying in the CNMI for five years or more.

In a statement yesterday, Dekada said it focused its efforts on the House of Representatives because the House is set sometime in the near future to consider the CNMI nonvoting delegate bill. The group said it supports the delegate bill but asks that Congress also address the problem of the large population in the CNMI of long-term alien residents lacking political rights.

Woodruff pointed out that the nonvoting delegate bill addresses the issue of lack of a voice in the national government for the people of the CNMI, but does nothing about the fact that over half of the adult population in the CNMI still would have no representation in Washington after the bill is passed in its present form. Woodruff argued that this is because majority of the adult population in the CNMI has no voting rights and hence no voice in the government at either the local or federal level.

“The consequence is a CNMI labor and immigration regime that is insensitive to the needs of long-term alien residents, fails to recognize their contributions to the community, and generally discriminates against them,” he said.

To emphasize the issue and stimulate congressional attention to the concerns of Dekada, Woodruff presented a suggested amendment to the nonvoting delegate bill to key members of the U.S. House.

The suggested amendment would add a new section on “voting rights” to the nonvoting delegate bill, providing:

“No person domiciled in the Northern Mariana Islands shall be denied the right to vote on account of alienage; provided, that such person has resided in the Northern Mariana Islands continuously for at least seven years. The immigration status of the individual under Commonwealth law may be given no greater weight than other factors in determining domicile.”

Woodruff traveled to the U.S. mainland initially to attend the funeral of his father, who passed away Sept. 23, 2005, at the age of 84. After tending to this personal and family concern, Woodruff proceeded to Washington, DC to advance Dekada’s cause.

“My father was an activist for peace and social justice in Cincinnati, Ohio, and elsewhere,” Woodruff said. “It seems to me a fitting tribute to his memory to take this time to work for the betterment of the civil, legal, and immigration status of long-term alien residents of the CNMI.”

Although voting rights as the most democratically effective way of ensuring the interests of long-term alien residents are fairly considered by the government, gaining the franchise is not the principal goal of Dekada, he said.

Woodruff told members of Congress that an “appropriate solution to the unacceptable human rights situation” Dekada members face would be for Congress to extend U.S. immigration and naturalization law to the CNMI in such a manner that qualifying individuals would be eligible for admission to lawful permanent residency, much as immediate relatives now are, pursuant to Section 506(c) of the Covenant.

Woodruff noted that the exact criteria for such a permanent residency, or “green card,” program have yet to be determined but suggested a period of residency such as seven years as one way to approach the question.

Woodruff visited the office of Pombo, which has jurisdiction over matters concerning the Northern Mariana Islands. He also called on the office of Rep. Nick Rahall (D-West Virginia), the ranking minority member of the committee, and spoke with staffers in both offices.

Another office visited was that of Delegate Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-Guam), where Woodruff discussed Dekada’s issues with Jed Bullock of Delegate Bordallo’s staff for over an hour. Bullock was especially attentive and helpful, Woodruff said, although Bordallo generally prefers to defer to CNMI Washington Rep. Pete A. Tenorio on issues concerning the CNMI.

While in D.C., Woodruff also identified and developed contacts on the committee and individual member staffs. Woodruff also communicated with Reps. George Miller (D-Calif.) and Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii), and is continuing the process of raising awareness in Washington, D.C., on the issues that concern Dekada and its supporters. (PR)