Hawaii senators back S. 2739

Both Hawaii senators spoke in favor of the CNMI immigration bill during floor debate on Thursday, congressional records show.

Senators Daniel Akaka and Daniel Inouye, in expressing their support for the omnibus bill S. 2739, made particular mention of the provisions that would have federal government take control of labor and immigration in the Northern Marianas.

The U.S. Senate, by a vote of 91-4, passed the bill. The measure now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives, where it has bipartisan support. The House is expected to concur shortly. Once the bill clears the House, it will be sent to the president for his signature, and will then become law.

In addition to federalizing CNMI immigration, the bill would also give the Commonwealth a delegate with limited voting powers to the U.S. House.

The CNMI provisions contained in S. 2739 are identical to the House version, H.R. 3079, which passed by the House in December 2007.

Akaka hailed the omnibus bill’s “targeted provisions that address unique circumstances and issues occurring in the Pacific region.”

After providing a brief description of the location and history of the Northern Marianas, the senator from the island state said the bill would advance the interests of both the United States and the commonwealth.

“This legislation meets the Federal Government’s interest in further implementation of the Covenant, securing our borders, and in the establishment of stable immigration and labor policies on which the CNMI can build its future,” said Akaka, who had sponsored the companion bill to H.R. 3079.

He added that the federalization measure is sensitive to the current economic downturn in the islands.

“The legislation provides a basis to transition the CNMI to Federal immigration laws, while protecting the local economy. These provisions are crucial to address the immigration abuses that have persisted in the CNMI for the past 20 years,” said Akaka.

For his part, Inouye said the CNMI immigration federalization is an issue “of special interest” to him.

He said the measure “seeks to correct profound problems in local immigration laws that have enabled the import of low paid, short termed indentured workers to be brought to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, CNMI.”

“Some were bought to work in garment factories. Others arrived in the CNMI, only to find that there was no job waiting for them, and were forced to find unpalatable means to work off their bondage debt,” he added.

Sen. Jeff Bingaman, the sole sponsor of S. 2739, also touted the CNMI provisions as a solution to longstanding federal concerns regarding CNMI immigration, labor, and law enforcement, which were heightened after the Sept. 11 attacks.

“This bill culminates 11 years of congressional and executive branch efforts to extend the U.S. immigration laws to the CNMI including the establishment of Federal border control as anticipated by the 1976 Covenant agreement between the CNMI and the United States. The bill also includes special provisions to meet the special needs of the islands’ economy,” said Bingaman, chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, which had reviewed and recommended passage of the bill.

Bingaman also noted that the NMI delegate bill would provide representation to CNMI citizens, who have been unable to participate in the lawmaking process during the past 20 years they have members of the U.S. family.

The Fitial administration opposes the immigration bill, saying it is too restrictive and would further damage the CNMI’s struggling economy.

The local government believes that a federalized immigration system would make it difficult for the CNMI to hire alien workers to fill jobs in the islands. It also fears the CNMI will lose its edge as a destination for Russian and Chinese tourists.