‘Don’t hold your breath’

Federal Ombudsman James Benedetto has urged foreign workers to be practical and not put their life on hold for the possibility of getting green cards.

Speaking before some 150 workers at a forum Saturday, Benedetto said that while long-time guest workers may eventually get improved status under the new immigration law, they should not hold their breath waiting for it to happen.

“I wouldn’t advise you to stay in the Commonwealth waiting for green cards, if you don’t have a job. By all means, go to where the pasture seems to be greener right now,” Benedetto said at the forum organized by the Coalition of United Workers.

The new immigration law, which will have Washington controlling immigration in the Northern Marianas, includes a provision requiring the U.S. administration to submit to Congress within two years a report with recommendations on how to grant the guest workers a more permanent status.

Benedetto noted the provision does not guarantee that green cards will be given out two years from now.

“Even if the report says to give everyone a green card, we don’t know if Congress will do it. In fact, even if Congress decides to do it, we don’t know how long it will take them to do it,” he said.

Benedetto pointed out that the federal government’s bid to take over local immigration took 10 years to happen.

Still, he sought to allay the guest workers’ fears that they would be deported at the end of the transition period if they do not qualify for U.S. work visas.

The immigration law says the number of foreign workers should be reduced to zero by Dec. 31, 2014, or some later date if the U.S. Secretary of Labor grants an extension to the transitional CNMI-only alien workers program.

Gov. Benigno R. Fitial, in justifying the lawsuit he plans to file against the U.S. government, said the economy would crash if the estimated 20,000 guest workers who cannot qualify for U.S. work visas are sent home.

Benedetto said the mass deportation could happen, but only “theoretically because we don’t know what the regulations will say yet.” He added that there is a good chance the transition period will be extended, since it is likely that the CNMI economy will continue to need foreign workers by 2014.

“Theoretically, it’s possible that we’d go down to zero [foreign workers]. But is that going to happen? I don’t think so. I don’t think you really have anything to worry about,” he said.