In Their Own Words – Gonzales

US Public Law 110-229 (Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008), known locally as federalization, applies the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Act to the CNMI.

“Title VII: Northern Mariana Islands, Subtitle A: Immigration, Security, and Labor” extends U.S. immigration laws to the CNMI with a transition period not later than Dec. 3, 2014, including:

* Sets numerical limitations for nonimmigrant workers for both Guam and the CNMI;

* Sets forth provisions regarding nonimmigrant investors and workers;

* Requires the Secretary of the Department of the Interior to report to Congress the status of nonresident guest workers in the CNMI;

* Amends the INA to provide a CNMI only nonimmigrant visitor visa for up to 45 day stays (vs. current 15 day stay limit);

* Directs the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to monitor such admissions and suspend the entry of foreign nationals from any country whose nationals pose risks to US national security;

* Requires US entry from the CNMI to be processed under present INA protocols, including immediate removal for non-entry;

* Requires the President and GAO to report to Congress on status of transition program, while authorizes CNMI Governor to report to the President regarding transition;

* Prohibits the CNMI from increasing the number of foreign guest workers as of the date of enactment of said Act;

* Exempts public hospitals in the CNMI from certain nurse admission requirements to ensure continuum of nursing professionals;
[B] My position as your Delegate[/B]

I respect U.S. Congressional authority to federalize local control of immigration for compelling national and homeland security purposes.

As your Delegate I will defend our self-government. I will diligently work with the Secretaries of the Department of Homeland Security, INS, and Interior to craft the regulations that take into consideration (1) our leveraging of the CNMI’s strategic defense thrust to our nation’s national security and (2) by ensuring that we protect our compelling and competitive economic tools provided for in our Covenant (ability to recruit special and labor intensive skilled labor and flexibility for investor and tourist visa permits), thus preserving the CNMI’s strategic position and promise for renewed economic revitalization, especially in view of the anticipated U.S. military buildup in our region.

As such, the U.S. will fulfill its side of the bargain by helping the CNMI achieve a progressively higher standard of living comparable to any economically prosperous community in the mainstream US as provided for and promised in Sec. 701 of our Covenant and ushering in a new era of sustainable and self-sufficient economic development

As your Delegate my principal responsibility is to restore lasting trust and respect to Congress and the federal government because I bring a fresh perspective and a new vision paddling forward to a new direction of progress for the benefit of all who call our Commonwealth home in this new era of economic prosperity and renewed hope.

As your Delegate I will apply the 3Cs: Consult—Ta fan ekkungok (listen); Communicate—Ta fan akumprendi (understand each other); and Collaborate—Ta fan afamåolek (work together). I will forge partnerships, not break them; build bridges, not burn them; work with each other, not against, so that we do not repeat the disaster we now face to restore our tainted national image largely created by national partisan games and by lobbyists supposedly working for us.