Reject Kilili’s bill

[B]By SUSANA BLAS DELEON GUERRERO[/B] [I]Special to the Saipan Tribune[/I] [I]Editor’s Note: The following is the author’s written testimony submitted to the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs for the hearing on H.R. 1466, a bill to resolve the status of certain persons legally residing in the Commonwealth of CNMI under the immigration laws of the United States. [/I]

Hafa Adai Chairman Fleming and members of the subcommittee. I am Susana Blas Deleon Guerrero, president of the CNMI Women’s Association. I am testifying on behalf of the CNMI Women’s Association, CWA, which seeks to protect the indigenous people of the Northern Mariana Islands, the native Chamorros and Carolinians, from displacement in their ancestral homeland, and other matters.

The CWA rejects House Resolution 1466, a bill to resolve the status of certain persons legally residing in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands under the immigration laws of the United States, introduced by U.S. Delegate Gregorio C. Kilili Sablan, also a Ranking Minority Member of this subcommittee.

The CNMI Women’s Association agrees with CNMI Gov. Benigno R. Fitial regarding the arguments behind Public Law 110-229, a Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008, and its effects in the CNMI. Please take time to read Governor Fitial’s written testimony.

The CNMI Senate Committee on Federal Relations and Independent Agencies held seven public hearings regarding the implementation of Public Law 110-229 and other matters affected by such law. After many written and oral testimonies submitted and recorded during the hearings, it was evident that the indigenous people of the CNMI who attended the hearings reject any improved status for thousands of aliens (including illegal immigrants) residing in the CNMI. It is not that those in opposition refuse aliens to have some status, but the people oppose being displaced in their own ancestral homeland—the only home they have ever known.

The CNMI Women’s Association acknowledges the plan under Public law 110-229 to phase out alien workers in the CNMI by Nov. 28, 2011, and then the final transition period on Dec. 31, 2014.

House Resolution 1466 introduces four types of categories that aliens can gain improved status. Furthermore, H.R. 1466 will allow also 11,000 and possibly more new U.S. citizens in the CNMI within 10 years or less. Some may state that this number is small compared to the immigrants in the U.S., but one must understand that there are currently 30,000 U.S. citizens residing in the CNMI, most of whom are Chamorro and Carolinian. Additionally, according to the U.S. Ombudsman’s Office in the CNMI, there are approximately 23,000 aliens residing in the CNMI, excluding their children. Subsequently, it is arguable that there are more aliens residing in the CNMI than there are indigenous Chamorro and Carolinians. Unfortunately, many agencies over the years have failed to control the immigration of aliens into the CNMI. However, the indigenous people acknowledge the need to stop this massive increase of aliens and the possibility of displacing indigenous people of the CNMI. House Resolution 1466 is not the best solution to address the 23,000 aliens in the CNMI.

According to the information provided by the CNMI Commonwealth Health Center, from calendar year 1990 to May 2011, out of 31,180 live births, 18,431 were of Filipino, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai, Indian, Nepalese, Bangladesh Taiwanese, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Burmese, and Sri Lankan descent. That is more than half and almost 60 percent of total live births during a 10-year period. This appalling number of 18,481 live births of aliens in the CNM has begun to disenfranchise the local indigenous population.

Based on the said numbers, H.R. 1466 will have a negative impact on the amount of social programs that will be available to the local residents. A bothersome fact for many people in the CNMI is that H.R. 1466 fails to address such devastating problem for local U.S. citizen residents.

A true story: A single mother, family of four, only receives $136 in food stamp benefits. She used to receive $250, which decreased to $196, and now at $136. This mother of four works two jobs and allows her 15-year-old son to watch over his three siblings while the mother goes to work.

One possible reason behind this decline is the additional hundreds of new qualified applicants for food stamps, including aliens with children born in the CNMI. On July 11, 2011 as published in the local newspaper, Marianas Variety, Department of Community and Cultural Affairs Secretary Melvin Faisao states, “that more than 500 people eligible for food stamp benefits were on a waiting list…there are about 9,700 residents receiving assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.” Within the past year, part of the agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, SNAP benefits decreased by 26.7 percent in food stamp benefits. Now, does House Resolution 1466 address this issue? It does not.

Consequently, H.R. 1466 will also place the local indigenous population at a disadvantage in terms of employment and voting in local elections. Before Public Law 110-229, the CNMI immigration office mirrored laws to that of the federal immigration pertaining to sponsorship. According to the CNMI law, only those nonresident aliens who could sponsor their spouses were those who were identified as “professionals.” Any nonresident alien who were identified as “professionals” had to have earned an annual salary of over $20,000. Many aliens residing in the CNMI today make much less than $20,000.

It is the purpose of the CNMI Women’s Association to bring forth to your committee that H.R. 1466 may seem like a plausible humanitarian bill, which in actuality is the opposite and more harmful for the indigenous people. Not only will H.R. 1466 displace thousands of indigenous Chamorro and Carolinian people, it will also deprive them of full potential benefits from social programs and another small benefits provided by the CNMI government especially during our severe declining economy.

Chairman Fleming, we humbly and sincerely ask your committee to think of our indigenous Chamorro and Carolinian people of the CNMI, who have been colonized and oppressed for over 500 years, to please reject House Resolution 1466.

[I]Susana Blas Deleon Guerrero is president of the CNMI Women’s Association.[/I]