Legislator begrudges Stayman •Palacios says OIA not helping in CNMI labor reform efforts

The chair of the House Labor and Immigration Committee has denounced the recent federal report that cited inadequacies of the Northern Marianas to implement reforms, saying a political agenda clouded a fair assessment of the island’s conditions.

Rep. Herman T. Palacios particularly lambasted Office of the Insular Affairs Director Allen P. Stayman over the report as he called for cooperation from the U.S. government to resolve differences straining bilateral relations.

“I hope at some point you will finally tell us the truth about why this report is so negative, and give us a chance to work with the federal government to establish a mutually satisfactory resolution to the differences,” he told Stayman in a letter.

Palacios was reacting to the allegations of the Department of the Interior reported to the U.S. Congress last month that highlighted failure by the local government to reform its labor and immigration.

The report, called the Fourth Annual Report on CNMI-Federal Initiative on Labor, Immigration and Law Enforcement, earlier has drawn protests from island leaders angered by its rehash of previous accusations to justify a federal takeover agenda.

It “allows political agendas to cloud vision and judgment,” Palacios said. “The entire tone of this report is negative, judgmental and misleading.”

The legislator, in particular, took exception to the phrase “indentured workers” used in the report to describe the foreign labor force on the island, pointing out these employees have in fact been earning more than they could in their home countries.

“You twist the facts to suit a political agenda,” Palacios said.

Underscoring ongoing reforms implemented by the current administration, the representative questioned the lack of federal assistance extended to local authorities to arrest violators and clamp down labor abuses.

He noted that labor cases in the commonwealth have decreased by nearly half last year compared to the previous year and that CNMI courts have effectively dealt with complaints from workers against local companies.

“The federal government has many avenues by which they can pursue alleged violations, and assist the Commonwealth maintain integrity in the system, short of federal takeover of labor and immigration,” Palacios said.

“Why haven’t they been more involved in areas where they could be of immediate help?” he asked Stayman.

The CNMI government has come under fire in recent years over its alleged inability to curb the influx of thousands of Asian migrant workers into the island, prompting Washington to push for the application of U.S. laws on local immigration and minimum wage.