Parole extension a godsend for struggling IRs

For Precilla Villafuerte, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ decision to extend the parole program for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens is an answered prayer.

The 43-year-old mother of one said she has had sleepless nights prior to USCIS’ Saturday announcement that it was extending the parole program not only for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens but also certain “stateless” individuals.

Villafuerte, who hails from Cavite, Philippines, said she just wants to continue to bring up her 8-year-old U.S. citizen daughter on Saipan, an island that has been good to her since she came here in 1992.

The single mother said she couldn’t imagine being deported back to the Philippines where her daughter will be bereft of government support like Medicaid and free education through the Public School System.

Villafuerte, who currently works as a house worker, she has little to no chance of landing a job in her native country because on Saipan “as long as you’re a hard worker, employers don’t discriminate due to age,” she said in her native Tagalog.

“God is good as we’re able to continue our harmonious life here on Saipan,” she told Saipan Tribune in a phone interview last night.

Violeta Dacana, 56, said the extension of parole would give her a chance to apply for an Employment Authorization Document and hopefully land a job.

The mother of a 16-year-old girl said she was worried that USCIS may not extend the parole program and that she may be forced to return to the Philippines after having called Saipan home since 1989.

Dacana used to work for a garment factory until the industry folded up in the mid-2000s. The native of Pangasinan, Philippines said she hasn’t applied for an EAD yet because she lacks the $380 filing fee and was denied a fee waiver.

A mother of three who lives in Fina Sisu, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that USCIS’ decision is a breath of fresh air for her and her family.

She said she already filed her parole extension with USCIS last month and as soon as she receives her approved application, she will apply for an EAD next so she can finally look for a job.

Marianas Advocates for Humanitarian Affairs president Rene Reyes said the USCIS announcement would benefit a lot of alien workers in the CNMI currently in parole status.

“As we always hope, parole holders will finally be given an extension, especially those who have U.S. citizen children. USCIS must be considerate with this group of people because most of them are victims of labor abuses and the economic downturn.”

The existing policy of granting humanitarian parole to eligible immediate relatives of U.S. citizens in the CNMI was due to expire at the end of this year, putting Commonwealth families with non-U.S. citizens at risk of separation.

Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) lauded USCIS for its early decision to extend humanitarian parole.

“I want to thank USCIS Director Leon Rodriguez for his decision to continue that policy and allowing for families in the Northern Marianas to stay together for another two years. In our island culture nothing is more important than family. That is why under Commonwealth immigration law the immediate relatives of U.S. citizens were allowed to live here in the Northern Mariana Islands.”

Sablan, however, said that immediate relatives of U.S. citizens with an opportunity to adjust their status to a more permanent one should do so as soon as possible.

“I encourage all of our families who have some U.S. and some non-U.S. members to keep working toward a permanent status. USCIS established the parole policy for immediate relatives in 2011 and has now extended the policy twice. But there is no guarantee that parole will continue to be offered after 2016.”

Acting press secretary Ivan Blanco said the extension is a positive development for the islands.

“This is certainly good news complementing the CW extension. We certainly understand the anxiety the previous looming date may have on families in our community. Many persons classified under this immigration status are contributing not only to the economic development of our islands but also to the social fabric of our society.”

On a more personal note, Blanco related a situation he experienced first hand when he saw families forced to split apart because of the status of a parent.

“My 11-year-old son has a close friend born here but with parents of Filipino ancestry. It broke my heart when my son’s friend told me his father had to return home. I am sure many have experienced similar heartbreaking situations as my son and his friend.”

USCIS’ extension of parole for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens in the CNMI is until Dec. 31, 2016.

To apply for extension of this parole, you must:

• Reside in the CNMI;

• Be a legal spouse, unmarried child under 21, or parent (regardless of the age of your child) of a U.S. citizen, referred to as an “immediate relative”; and

• Have been previously granted parole in order to follow this simplified extension request procedure.

This parole extension will allow the immediate relative to remain with the U.S. citizen lawfully in the CNMI, but parole does not authorize employment. Immediate relatives must, as before, obtain an EAD by submitting Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, or obtain work authorization as a CW-1 CNMI-Only Transitional Worker or other employment-based nonimmigrant status under federal immigration law.

USCIS said the announcement does not extend to anyone other than the immediate relatives of U.S. citizens and certain “stateless” individuals. USCIS may grant parole on a case-by-case basis based on the individual circumstances presented and has exercised parole authority on a case-by-case basis in the CNMI since 2009 for special situations.