On deportation

Since the realization that federalization of the CNMI’s locally controlled immigration would become an imminent reality, there has been quite a hue and cry from certain sectors of the local nonresident population which has served to draw in many local, and vocal, residents.

The outcry has decidedly polarized the entire NMI—some sounding humanitarian “reasons” for giving “special consideration” to those nonresidents who decided to have babies—thus, U.S. citizens by virtue of birth. And no one (I believe) purposely minimizes the contributions of these nonresidents to the enhancement of the NMI over many years.

Then there is the “other” side; nonresidents deserve no “special considerations” because they came here for “temporary” jobs—not babies and a future life as somehow deserving of “enhanced (U.S.) status” due to nothing more than longevity (and children).

These compelling arguments on both “sides,” and more, will drone on and on until the federal government finally issues those long-awaited final rules and sets up shop later this year. At that point, arguments will no longer matter and action will commence.

Well, here’s what (I believe) you can expect: On this past Thursday evening, The CBS Evening News reported the following U.S. Immigration Service statistics regarding deportations from the U.S. of so-called “illegal” aliens. The USCIS has just released the number of nonresidents deported from the U.S. Who had U.S. citizen CHILDREN, many of whom had been in the U.S. for 10 or more years and held jobs—some of them very highly placed jobs.

That figure is 360,000 persons with U.S. children! In most cases, the children went “back home” with their deported parents—giving up friends, schools, homes, and all the “niceties” of being “U.S.” Of course, a few stayed behind (usually the older ones) with other families—after all they are U.S. citizens and have the right to be here—and to petition the return of their parents once they reach the age of 21. But this means the “break-up” of families, and that is primarily what local CNMI nonresidents are fighting over—but it didn’t matter one whit in the States—did it?

Now that averages out to around 7,200 people from each and every state. If the USCIS can do that, on that scale, then I really don’t think the few people in the CNMI who are asking for “special consideration” stand much of a chance—do they? If the law is to be applied without discrimination throughout the U.S., then those CNMI nonresidents who cannot or do not qualify under normal immigration pathways to remain, need to start planning for their future; a future that will probably send them (and their children) home—for now.