Group asks US to stop deportation of 12,000 Pinoys from Northern Marianas

Published January 6, 2012 2:00pm

The National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON) is appealing to the United States government to stop the deportation of about 12,000 Filipino workers in the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) who are having difficulty maintaining legal immigration status. Citing previous US Census data, NAFCON said Filipinos have the largest population in CNMI, comprising almost 30 percent of all residents, even surpassing the total number of the native Chamorro people. "Most of our 'kababayans' (fellow Filipinos) in CNMI were forced out of the Philippines 10 to 30 years ago because of the lack of jobs. They were critical in developing CNMI's economy and it is now their home and the only home their children have known," Rico Foz, NAFCON national spokesperson, said in a statement posted on the NAFCON website. Maria Lourdes Berueco, one of the Filipino workers in CNMI, said, "Most of us have lived in CNMI for a very long time with many raising our families here. Many feel anxiety about going back to the Philippines since most don't have anything or anyone to go back to anymore."

After the federal takeover of CNMI immigration, CNMI-issued entry permits, called "umbrella permits," can no longer be considered as visas. This phase ended on November 27, 2011, when the permits expired. NAFCON said, "For the 20,859 overseas contract workers residing in the CNMI (approximate number only as of year 2010, and not including those who did not register to the Ombudsman's accounting), this would mean 'out of status' for most." It noted that some can apply for "humanitarian parole" as may be granted by the USCIS on a case to case basis for: (1) foreign national born in CNMI between January 1, 1974 to January 9, 1978; (2) those who were permanent residents in the CNMI since the Consolidated Natural Resources Act (CNRA) was signed (May 8, 2008); (3) spouse or child of foreign nationals described in numbers 1 or 2; or (4) immediate relative of a U.S. citizen residing in the CNMI from the time the CNRA was signed. "These four groups are the subject of a US House Resolution 1466 now pending consideration for discussion in the US Congress," NAFCON said. Background According to NAFCON, President Gerald Ford signed the covenant into law in 1976, establishing CNMI as a US Commonwealth having its own constitution and government. As a US Commonwealth, the CNMI government had exclusive control over its labor and immigration laws, allowing it to bring in contract guest workers through the Nonresident Workers' Act (NWA) in 1983. Later, the CNMI labor laws were superseded by the US Federal minimum wage regulations through the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007. On November 28, 2009, US immigration law gained jurisdiction over CNMI with the passage of the CNRA enacted the previous year. With the implementation of the CNRA, the transition period for the "federalization" of CNMI began and the US Department of Homeland Security took over CNMI's immigration and border controls. The transition is scheduled to end on December 31, 2014. - RJMD/VVP, GMA News

Tags: cnmi, northernmarianas