Scholarship checks for stateless children on hold

The CNMI Scholarship Office has put on hold the distribution of Educational Assistance Program checks to stateless students enrolled at the Northern Marianas College, based on instructions from the Attorney General’s Office.

Randy Mendoza, a stateless individual and spokesperson of the group, said that when they went to the Scholarship Office to pick up their checks, the Office informed them that it cannot issue their EAP scholarship checks until further notice.

“I feel that the Scholarship Office’s decision to hold all of the stateless EAP checks is unfair,” said Mendoza. “The office had given us an award letter stating that we are eligible to receive the scholarship.”

The Scholarship Office had accepted the applications of some 20 students shortly after Ninth Circuit judge John T. Noonan declared them U.S. citizens under the U.S. Constitution.

Scholarship Office chair Roman Benavente was reportedly informed by the Attorney General’s Office to hold the checks until the pending appeal of the recent ruling of the Ninth Circuit is finalized, said Mendoza.

He said the stateless students are depending on the scholarship award to pay for their Fall 2004 tuition and fees.

According to Mendoza, the newly enrolled stateless students in NMC that applied for the CNMI scholarship graduated with high honors.

“Many of these students are highly dependent on the scholarship; some of them have thought of quitting their jobs to focus on their education and maintain their GPA,” he said.

“I heard that the checks were out, so I went there to pick it up. They told me that I’m not on the list because they’re holding my check. No one told me this before I went there,” said stateless student Nanette. “It’s confusing, I guess for now I’m going to have to pay on my own.”

Scholarship Office administrator Melissa Guajardo said the students would later be informed whether they would be granted the EAP checks.

“We were told by our legal counsels to hold the checks until further notice. We will inform the students by writing,” she said.

“Stateless persons” are those who were born and raised in the Commonwealth between Jan. 1, 1974, and Nov. 4, 1986, who are not U.S. citizens. They are not U.S. citizens due to the fact that Section 301(c) of the Covenant only granted U.S. citizenship to those who were domiciled continuously in the Northern Mariana Islands beginning prior to Jan. 1, 1974 and continuing through Nov. 4, 1986.