CNMI seeks $200K partial payment for hosting illegals

The Northern Marianas is ready to bill the federal government about $200,000 as its initial request for payment on the costs of hosting more than 500 illegal Chinese immigrants on Tinian.

But the island government has estimated a total of $599,000 in expenditures which it incurred during the two-month operations assisting U.S. authorities, according to Finance Sec. Lucy DLG. Nielsen.

The Department of Finance has compiled all the records and documents from all government agencies involved in the operations, but it is currently trying to finalize these papers before the Commonwealth asks for reimbursement from Washington.

“We are ready to submit billings of approximately $200,000 for two boats based on the documents we have reconciled,” Nielsen told legislators during a budget hearing yesterday.

These charges will cover costs of the first two boatloads of undocumented aliens, who were sent to Tinian last April after the U.S. Coast Guard caught them attempting to enter Guam illegally.

Nielsen did not provide breakdown of the billings, saying only that these amounts included purchase orders and overtime of CNMI personnel stationed at the two temporary shelter camps set up by federal authorities on Tinian.

“What we did was we went back and we looked at what we have paid. We dealt only with the first boat and second boat,” she told in an interview after the hearing.

“We have already reconciled that and so a letter… to request for reimbursement will be going out this week and I hope that it will be signed by the governor,” added Nielsen.

Although the last batch of illegal immigrants left Tinian on June 20, CNMI officials are taking time to determine the amount for reimbursement to ensure that they have the documents to back up the claims.

“The governor wants to do it as soon as possible but because of the reconciliation, we wanted to make sure that what we request is really supported,” Nielsen pointed out.

The Departments of Labor and Immigration, Public Safety, Public Works as well as Public Health and the Public School System have included their unpaid charges in the report, which will be handed over to Washington officials in the next few weeks.

The federal government has promised to reimburse the CNMI after it made Tinian holding camps for these undocumented aliens. At least four boats were towed to the island before repatriation began for these people last month.

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 caught aboard the boats have been charged at the federal court and one has pled guilty to the felony offense.