Undocumented aliens leave Saipan quietly

CNMI and federal authorities yesterday morning sneaked 291 illegal Chinese immigrants out of their temporary shelters on Tinian and boarded them on a chartered flight back to their homeland, ending the island’s involvement on the U.S. immigration crisis — at least for now.

Oscar Martinez from the federal Immigration and Natural Service and Mark Zachares, secretary of the local labor and immigration department, oversaw the repatriation of the remaining undocumented aliens who stayed at hastily-built quarters on Tinian while awaiting their fate.

At least seven tourist buses transferred the Chinese to the Saipan International Airport after a ferry brought them to the island from Tinian, where they had been staying since the U.S. Coast Guard towed their boats after attempting to enter Guam illegally.

A chartered plane from an Asian carrier waited at the airport early yesterday morning for the illegal immigrants, who were then led to a jet bound to an undisclosed destination in China, according to government officials.

The group was the third batch of illegals repatriated by the US government this month since taking refuge on two “tent cities” set up by INS on Tinian last April.

According to Rep. Herman Palacios, chair of the House Committee on Labor and Immigration, these illegals were the last to be sent home, which means that the CNMI government had successfully ended its hosting of the Chinese.

“They all left,” he said in an interview, noting that between 290 to 300 people were scheduled to depart Saipan by yesterday. He did not say, however, where the plane was headed, adding only that he gathered this information from Zachares.

The DOLI chief was not in the office when Tribune tried to contact him, but an official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, related that the illegals had left the island earlier.

According to another source, the repatriation had been planned without “media coverage,” although a local television newscast covered the departure, and information could only be gathered from INS and DOLI.

The immigration crisis has been shrouded in mystery since the CNMI agreed to take in illegals caught by the Coast Guard in international waters off Guam in April.

They were believed to be victims of human smuggling syndicate operating in China, primarily in Fujian province. At least two dozens of suspected ring leaders who were caught aboard their boats have been charged at the federal court and one has pled guilty to the felony offense.

While Washington has agreed to shoulder the costs of providing shelter to these illegals, the island government is still awaiting reimbursement, which has already ran to over half-a-million dollars.