At the stroke of midnight on Nov. 28, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers will take over immigration control at the Saipan International Airport where they have started setting up their offices.
Among other things, the federal takeover means U.S. visas will be required of foreigners for entry into the CNMI, just like in Guam, Hawaii, and the rest of the United States.
The CNMI is the last U.S. territory that controls its own borders.
Fingerprinting and eye scan will also become main fixtures at the airport, just like anywhere in the U.S.
Edward H. Low, public affairs liaison at CBP's San Francisco office, said yesterday CBP officers started arriving on Saturday, and more were expected to arrive last night and tonight in time for Saturday.
Between 40 and 50 CBP officers will be on Saipan for the takeover of local immigration.
“The CBP officers will be ready to do their job on Nov. 28. .As the operation continues, we will assess the staffing needs and either add or subtract as many as we need to,” Low told Saipan Tribune in an interview yesterday morning.
U.S. Public Law 110-229 or the Consolidated Natural Resources Act puts CNMI immigration under federal control effective Nov. 28.
“CBP is going to do its best to make this transition as seamless as possible. Our main focus is to make sure the borders are secured.and at the same time we want to facilitate travel and we will do our best to make sure that that happens,” Low said.
In October, Gov. Benigno R. Fitial gave CBP access to the immigration facilities at the Saipan airport for federal personnel to be able to set up equipment and others needed for its eventual takeover.
CBP Assistant Commissioner for Field Operations Thomas S. Winkowski led a team of CBP officials in an operational visit to Saipan in October.
“We have the access we need so far,” said Low, adding that the CBP offices at the airport are being prepared now.
Jerry Aevermann, CBP's current assistant port director in Guam, will be the interim port director for the CNMI.
Included in the 40 to 50 CBP temporary duty personnel in the CNMI are those from Guam.
There is no telling yet whether any of the current CNMI immigration officers who applied for CBP jobs have been able to secure employment.
Low said the way CBP officers will process people coming into the CNMI from foreign countries would be the same way that CBP officers do in the continental United States, Hawaii and Guam.
“In other words, the people who will be given admission into the CNMI require either a U.S. passport, a U.S. permanent resident alien card, a valid U.S. visa or they have to be citizens of nations that belong to either the visa waiver program, or the Guam-CNMI visa waiver program, with the exception of Chinese and Russian visitors,” he said.
Low reiterated that foreign workers need to secure the relevant U.S. visa to be able to re-enter the CNMI starting on Nov. 28.
CBP is the unified border agency within DHS charged with the management, control and protection of U.S. borders at and between the official ports of entry.
Foreign workers need to obtain a CW-1 visa from a U.S. embassy, after securing a CW-1 status in the CNMI.
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