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Federalization in N Marianas shatters Filipino families' dreams


SUSUPE, Saipan – All that Jenica G. Atalig, 13, and Beda G. Mundo, 12, want is for their Filipina mother, Camila, to be granted US citizenship when the federal government takes over the immigration system of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) by June 1. Their mother’s immigration status is that of an immediate relative (IR) of a US citizen under CNMI law. But because US immigration laws do not recognize the CNMI’s IR status, thousands of these individuals will lose their immigration status by June 1 and may be forced to depart the CNMI unless the US government grants them a status that will allow them to continue to work and live in the CNMI. Their mother, who worked at a hotel for some seven years until she was laid off due to economic hardships, is married to a US citizen. The couple’s children are US citizens for being born in the CNMI, a US territory whose capital Saipan is only about three hours away from Manila on a direct flight. Jenica and Beda’s mother could apply for a green card or permanent residency, but the fees rack up to thousands of dollars, which the family cannot afford at this time. "Fees for applying for green card are unaffordable. We strongly favor an enhanced status for aliens living here and have US-born children. Let this concern of ours be heard," Janice and Beda said in a statement. Janice and Beda are just two of the over 1,500 children and adults who turned in personal letters, asking for an improved immigration status for themselves or their families by June 1, to three foreign workers' groups that will deliver these to the US Congress, the US Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies. On Sunday, the United Workers Movement NMI, the Coalition of United Workers NMI, and the Human Dignity Movement held a letter-writing event to assist in writing, translating, collecting and scanning personal letters from those who will be affected by federalization. The letters are being forwarded to Florida-based human rights activist Wendy Doromal, who will hand deliver the letters to the US Congress and other federal agencies drafting the regulations that will implement federal immigration in the CNMI. Doromal said the letter writing campaign gives a “human face" to those who will be affected by federalization. These people, according to Doromal, are guest workers, US citizen children of Filipinos and other foreign contract workers, spouses and children of citizens from FAS, alien spouses and children of U.S. citizens, CNMI permanent residents, widows and widowers of U.S. citizen spouses, and alien spouses divorced from their U.S. citizen spouses. "The officials drafting regulations are thousands of miles from the CNMI and have not met with these people directly. The letters will give them a chance to get a clearer picture of who the people affected by Public Law 110-229 are, the contributions that they make to the community, and why they call the Commonwealth home," said Doromal in a statement. She said the letter writing campaign will give a voice to the huge population of CNMI nonresidents who are not represented and have no vote in matters that impact their lives and the lives of their children and families. Many of the letters turned in on Sunday ask for federalization to be implemented on June 1 as scheduled instead of delaying it by 180 days as requested by the CNMI government and the business community. One of those supporting federalization by June 1 is Anita Reyes, a Filipina who has been working on Saipan for 25 years. "Kung pwede po sana huwag na ma-extend ang federalization; sobrang napamahal na sa akin itong Saipan kaya kung uuwi pa ako sa Pilipinas, panibagong buhay na naman ang mangyayari sa akin kaya nakikiusap po ako na tulungan nyo kami," she said in her letter, which will be translated into English by volunteer foreign workers. [If possible, I wish the federalization won't be extended; I have loved Saipan so much that if I return to the Philippines I would have to live a different life that's why I urge you to help us.] Rene Reyes, president of the Coalition of United Workers NMI, said most of the over 1,500 letters they received as of Sunday were written by Filipinos or their relatives. Reyes, 42, and who has been on Saipan for almost 21 years, said they didn’t expect to receive many letters. “We received a very positive response from the community. We never thought we’ll receive this many letters in one day," Reyes told GMANews.TV. Pedro S. Alonzo, 53, went to Saipan on Feb. 16, 1989 as an overseas Filipino worker (OFW). “The whole 20 years I work, I have contributed already so I am asking don’t extend (the federalization for) 180 days because my permit is expiring on June 2 of this year and I still want to continue working on Saipan because I love this place already and I like to continue supporting my children in the Philippines," he said in his handwritten letter. Bernadita Zata, 52, said she’s been working on Saipan as a houseworker and babysitter for almost 15 years, and hopes the US government will grant her and other long-staying guest workers a better immigration status. "Kahit ano, tulad ng green card or permanent residency or US citizenship para makapagtrabaho pa kami dito," Zata told GMANews.TV during the letter writing campaign. [Just give us anything, a green card or permanent residency or US citizenship so that we could still work here.] Zata, who hails from Cavite, said she was able to raise and send to school his son in the Philippines. "Napagtapos ko ng industrial engineering ang anak ko dahil sa pagkakatulong at baby-sitting ko dito sa Saipan. Isa ng supervisor ang anak ko pero gusto niyang mag-abroad din. Gusto ko rin naman mabigyan ako ng better status dito," said Zata. [My child was able to finish industrial engineering from my work as a nanny in Saipan. My child is now a supervisor but he/she also wants to work abroad. I also want to get a better status here.] Juan O. Belen, 42, of Caloocan City, said in a year, he filed two labor complaints against two different employers on Saipan over labor abuses. "Fortunately, I got compensated through labor hearings with the assistance of the Federal Ombudsman’s Office. But most labor cases are not as fortunate as mine because I know a lot of people that had waited as much as 10 years but didn’t get paid at all," said Belen, adding that his experience is an example of labor abuses that will be prevented once the federal government takes over the CNMI’s labor and immigration system. The CNMI is home to some 10,000 OFWs and Filipino-Americans. - GMANews.TV
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