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Illegals continue to seek amnesty
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Posted on Mar 26 1999
The Department of Labor and Immigration is counting over 2000 registrants to the CNMI’s limited immunity program since it was launched in December.
Over 1000 of the registrants are working temporarily, while 89 secured one year employment contract, according to Jeff Camacho, head of the amnesty program.
Three of the registrants volunteered to depart from the CNMI: a Chinese, Filipino and Bangladeshi. They came in to DOLI to ask for airline ticket in going home.
“Yes it’s doing good,” he said in an earlier interview, and yes it continues to draw over staying aliens.
Based on this recent count, over 1000 Filipinos came forward to legalize their stay in the CNMI. They are followed by the Chinese, with a total of 884 who trooped to DOLI.
Other nationalities also availed of the amnesty group, 154 Bangladeshis, 45 Koreans, among other illegal aliens in the CNMI.
From this total number, 83 came from Tinian and another 78 registrants were from Rota.
This recent count of 2,176 registrants as of March 20, DOLI was to able to meet its earlier prediction to welcome 2000 illegal aliens even before its deadline set in June.
DOLI officials believes that the limited immunity program will go on until June which was put in place to address concerns raised by Washington over the increasing number of guest workers in the CNMI.
This program covers non-resident workers, tourists, students, missionaries and other holder of short or long term business permits who entered the CNMI on or before January 1, 1998.
Registrants are issued temporary work authorization to enable them to find work within 90 days.
However, aliens who are facing deportation or convicted felony or misdemeanor of crime involving moral turpitude are not covered.
