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Clinton assures payment for hosting illegals
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Posted on Oct 28 1999
President Clinton has assured White House’s commitment to provide millions of dollars in badly-needed funding for Guam and the CNMI as well as other Pacific territories for assisting federal authorities in detaining and repatriating illegal Chinese immigrants.
In a message addressed to the U.S. House of Representatives when he vetoed an appropriation bill, Clinton said these federal funds will support these islands in the interdiction effort launched by the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
“The bill does not include any funds to reimburse Guam and other territories for the costs of detaining and repatriating smuggled Chinese aliens. These entities deserve our support for assisting in this interdiction effort,” he said in the memo dated Oct. 25.
The statement was part of a long list of the Clinton Administration’s priorities that the House had removed from a FY 2000 budget proposal for the departments of Commerce, Justice and State as well as the Judiciary and other Related Agencies.
The appropriations were part of HR 2670 vetoed by the president last Monday (Tuesday local time).
“I look forward to working with the Congress to craft an appropriations bill that I can support, and to pass one that will facilitate our shared objectives,” said Clinton.
It was not known how much money were set aside by White House for its immigration efforts in the Western Pacific, but Guam and the CNMI had helped INS host thousands of undocumented aliens who came by boat from China in their attempt to enter the U.S. territory.
Both islands last month received partial payment for the expenditures incurred from these operations, with the CNMI receiving $750,000 for its assistance.
More than 600 illegal aliens were sent to temporary shelters on Tinian between April and August after the local government acceded to the White House’s request to help Guam deal with the influx of Chinese boat people.
