‘Dekada can’t get permanent residency’

By LIBERTY DONES
REPORTER

Washington Rep. Pete A. Tenorio said stateless persons’ U.S. citizenship victory should not give any false hope for another group wanting permanent residency, noting that they have different cases.

“This is different from the humanitarian issue of stateless persons,” said Tenorio in a media briefing Friday in reference to Dekada Movement’s lobby efforts to effect a passage of a U.S. law to allow long-staying nonresidents workers in the CNMI to obtain “green card” or a permanent residency status.

Tenorio noted that the U.S. Congress could only grants U.S. citizenship, but not permanent residency status to aliens.

“U.S. Congress cannot and will not provide permanent residency to Dekada. I’m not trying to discourage them. They can do what they want, but I want to be honest with them and be very straightforward about it because some of them are not being provided proper information,” said Tenorio.

“It’s unfair for people to be paying $100 when somebody knows fully well that prospects for success is not going to come…U.S. Congress is not going to grant Dekada applicants opportunity for green card because U.S. Congress does not have that right. It has the right [to grant] citizenship but residency is not possible,” he said.

Tenorio said he checked the issue with some congressional staff, “and that’s what they told me. The U.S. Congress is not going to act on this thing.”

Tenorio said Insular Affairs deputy assistant secretary David Cohen had articulated it well last year.

“Mr. Cohen was correct (that green card is not possible). People should be told about this thing and not be given a run around…there should be honesty in dealing with people who would eventually be victimized. I hope whoever is helping them is upfront on this thing,” said Tenorio.

Cohen earlier said that while he has great sympathy “for hardworking and talented people” who share the American dream, people should be wise so as not to be exploited.

“I want people to come to the CNMI for the right reasons, and not based on the mistaken belief that it will somehow improve their chances of becoming U.S. citizens.”

“I don’t want to see people investing a lot of time and money in something that is not going to succeed. I think it’s better for people to know the truth up front, even if the truth isn’t pleasant,” he had said.

For his part, Dekada lawyer Stephen Woodruff earlier said it was irresponsible for the federal official to utter those words, noting that, “he [Cohen] doesn’t have any authority with regards to the immigration policy of the United States.”

Dekada leader Bonifacio Sagana said most of the group’s members have children who are U.S. citizens and have spent their lives in the Commonwealth for more than 10 years.

Sagana allayed fears of possible exploitation, saying that the funds would be properly managed for lobby efforts that would be facilitated by the group’s lawyer.

Dekada collects $100 from each applicant. It has at least 3,000 members, consisting of Filipinos, Bangladeshis, Thais, and Nepalese, among others.

Qualified applicants are aliens who have proof of at least five consecutive years of lawful stay in the Commonwealth.

Dekada said its members deserve to obtain improved long-term residence status, citing their contributions to the CNMI’s economy.

Woodruff believes that despite the autonomy of the CNMI in controlling its immigration, Congress has the power to give them a “special green card” or any other means of improving their immigration status.