Federal officials to descend on NMI

Federal officials are expected to visit in the next few weeks to initial talks on the U.S. government’s imminent takeover of the local immigration control.

Pete A. Tenorio, the Commonwealth’s resident representative to Washington, D.C., reported that various federal agencies have begun preliminary discussions about how the “federalization” of CNMI immigration will be applied.

Tenorio said the Northern Marianas can expect a team of officials from the U.S. departments of Homeland Security and Labor to visit next month to meet with the Fitial administration, the Legislature, and the business community regarding the new immigration law.

Gov. Benigno R. Fitial also announced that Department of the Interior officials, including recently appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary for Insular Affairs Doug Domenech and Office of Insular Affairs Director Nikolao Pula, are coming next week.

In his letter to the governor, Tenorio urged the administration to work with the federal officials in drafting the regulations for implementing the federalization measure.

“The public law is truly just the skeleton of what will eventually become the operational CNMI Transition Program. The ‘meat’ of the skeleton will be the regulations. I sincerely hope that your administration takes a positive approach to the development of the regulations and participates openly in these discussions,” he said.

He added that, by helping draft the regulations, the CNMI government can ensure that local business will continue to be able to hire needed foreign workers, and that China and Russia, the two emerging markets of the local tourism industry, are included in the new visa waiver program.

“I will do what I can, but the true insight into how these new programs will work best lies with your administration,” said Tenorio.

The Fitial administration, which had strongly opposed the federalization measures, said it would work with the U.S. government in drafting the regulations.

“We are very eager to help draft the regulations,” said press secretary Charles P. Reyes Jr. “It’s all just getting started, so there isn’t a whole lot of concrete action yet. But we’ll continue to engage in talks with the federal government.”

Five federal agencies have one year to draft the regulations for the new CNMI immigration law. The U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security must work with the State Secretary, the Attorney General, the Labor Secretary, and the Interior Secretary to establish the transition program, which will be in effect from June 1, 2009 to Dec. 31, 2014.