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Kaipat: New procedures in place to identify overstaying aliens
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Posted on May 16 2008
The Department of Labor has put up new procedures to easily identify overstaying alien workers in the CNMI, according to Labor deputy secretary Cinta M. Kaipat.
Kaipat said as part of Labor’s new operating procedures, they have established procedures for creating an “overstayer list” out of Labor’s administrative actions each quarter.
She said the first of such list was published in a newspaper last Monday, May 12.
“We held this one until the federalization cap went into effect in order to ensure that any slots created by departing workers would be available under the cap,” said the former lawmaker.
The overstaying aliens’ list was among the issues discussed by Kaipat in her interim progress report No. 4 on the implementation of Public Law 15-108 or the labor reform law that she submitted to the Legislature on Wednesday.
Each quarter, the deputy secretary said, a staff member who has been specially trained in overstayer work will examine the records with respect to all permits that expired during the calendar year.
“Permit holders who have expired permits and who have not left the Commonwealth and who have no application, case, or appeal pending in the department will be put on the overstayer list,” she said.
Kaipat said the list will be published twice, once in each of two successive weeks, to give persons on the list an opportunity to appear at Labor and correct if any error has been made.
Kaipat said after the correction period expires, she will certify the list to the division of Immigration, and that they expect immigration to conduct vigorous enforcement efforts.
In addition, the deputy secretary disclosed that they have another staff member who is systematically examining Labor records for each year from 2003 forward to 2007 to find overstayers.
“This is a more complicated process because the department’s records created prior to this administration are not always complete,” she said.
However, Kaipat noted, they have now finished hearings on almost all of the Labor cases through 2007 so the status of most alien workers has been determined.
“This will make the process of identifying overstayers easier,” she added.
