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Burton ready to add voice on ‘stateless’ issue
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Posted on Oct 27 2004
U.S. Rep. Daniel Burton said he is ready to join the CNMI in petitioning the federal government not to appeal a court ruling acknowledging that “stateless” individuals in the Commonwealth are U.S. citizenship.
Burton, who had a two-day visit to the CNMI, said that, although he was not personally aware about the recent Ninth Circuit ruling, he would be willing to join Gov. Juan N. Babauta in requesting U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft from appealing the decision.
“I’ll do that. I think that they should have that status. They are kind of caught in between. And I’ll be happy to work on that. We’ve been working on that,” he said.
Right now, he said, the situation is “wait-and-see” amid a possible appeal of the decision.
Burton said that his office has been working with the governor in preparing a bill granting the stateless individuals U.S. citizenship.
His chief of staff, Mark A. Walker, said the issue was also brought to the attention of California congressman Richard Pombo, whose committee recently approved the CNMI non-voting delegate to U.S. Congress.
“We did bring the issue directly with congressman Pombo. Right now, our strategy is wait-and-see if this is going to be appealed. We stand ready to help,” said Walker.
The federal appellate court decision affirmed last month the U.S. citizenship of the stateless persons—those born in the Northern Marianas between Jan. 9, 1978 to Nov. 3, 1986.
