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GAO calls on agencies to step up role in immigration federalization process
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Posted on Aug 06 2008
[B]WASHINGTON, D.C.[/B]—A new Government Accountability Office report made public Tuesday underscores the important role federal agencies—particularly the Department of Homeland Security, along with the Departments of Labor and the Interior—must play in providing for the successful transition of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to federal immigration policy.
“I am not surprised with GAO’s findings with respect to the job of federal agencies in the coming months. This transition can work and be beneficial to the CNMI economy and her people, but it will clearly need a collaborative effort from CNMI leadership and other stakeholders to be a success,” said Del. Donna M. Christensen (D-VI), chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs.
In May 2008, Public Law 110-229 or the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008 was enacted to apply U.S. immigration laws to the CNMI, subject to a transition period ending in 2014. Christensen, along with House Natural Resources Committee chair Rep. Nick J. Rahall (D-WV) and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee chair Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), asked the GAO in May 2007 to examine the effects that implementation of this legislation will have on the CNMI economy.
The GAO outlined several key factors critical to a successful immigration policy transition.
These include:
– A coordinated interagency process—headed by the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Secretaries of the Interior, Labor, and State, and the U.S. Attorney General—must be put in place to jointly implement the legislation. There is currently no formalized process in place to coordinate agency decisions.
– A joint effort between the Secretaries of Homeland Security and Labor to develop strategies for obtaining critical data on the labor market and foreign investment in the CNMI to ensure no undue harm is done to the CNMI economy.
– Continued cooperation from the CNMI government to continue working with federal agencies throughout the transition period. [B][I](PR)[/I][/B]
