By Haidee V. Eugenio
Variety Assistant Editor

DEPUTY Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Insular Affairs David B. Cohen says the U.S. Congress should build sufficient “flexibility” into the framework of any new immigration system for the CNMI. He is testifying before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Insular Affairs in Washington, D.C. today, local time.
“Even under an immigration system administered by the federal government, the law could provide greater flexibility to admit foreign visitors to the CNMI than is currently allowed under the Immigration and Nationality Act,” said Cohen, who is also President Bush’s special representative for consultations with the CNMI pursuant to Section 902 of the U.S.-CNMI Covenant.
He said the greater flexibility could be justified by the fact that the CNMI’s economic viability is arguably dependent upon having it.
As with the current system, the U.S. could seek to insulate itself from any impact on the rest of the U.S. from granting greater flexibility to the CNMI by maintaining a “second firewall” between the CNMI and the rest of the U.S., Cohen told Subcommittee on Insular Affairs Chairwoman Donna M. Christensen, D-Virgin Islands.
“Under such a scenario, aliens entering the CNMI after qualifying for special visas or visa waivers would have to qualify separately for admission to the rest of the U.S. and would be treated as if they were arriving from a foreign country,” Cohen said.
Cohen has told Christensen of the “anxiety” caused by Congress developing policies that will profoundly affect a small corner of America that many in that bodyknow little about.
Christensen’s subcommittee members, however, “posses a great deal of knowledge about the CNMI,” according to Cohen.
“There is a great diversity of opinion in the CNMI, but a shared sense of anxiety about what the federal government may or may not do and a shared desire for their voices to be heard here in Washington,” Cohen told Christensen.
Christensen earlier told Variety that she and her subcommittee want to fully understand the economic, social and security conditions of the CNMI before introducing any legislation and that’s why a hearing is being held.
Cohen’s testimony is to be similar to that of his Feb. 9 statement presented before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources chaired by Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., except for an increased emphasis on the idea that flexibility be given to the CNMI should Congress federalize the islands’ immigration system. He will also provide updates on local and federal efforts to address human trafficking, prostitution and other wage and labor issues.
Bingaman’s committee earlier asked Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to draft the legislation extending federal immigration law to the CNMI.
As requested by the House subcommittee, Cohen summarized the results of his consultations with Gov. Benigno R. Fitial under Section 902 of the Covenant, as well as his meetings with various groups in the CNMI. He also reiterated his desire to push for a CNMI delegate bill.
Cohen and Fitial endorsed the five principles that Cohen outlined in his Feb. 9 and April 19 testimony, including minimizing the damage of any move to federalize the local immigration system to the CNMI economy which he said has “gotten worse” since last year.
Fitial earlier told local media that his administration will not oppose federal border control for security reasons, but will never support the extension of federal immigration law to the CNMI, including giving permanent residency to nonresident workers.
The Fitial administration hired a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. to block new attempts to federalize local immigration.
Cohen, in his testimony, reiterated his concern about foreign nationals in the CNMI engaging in prostitution.
“Many incidents have been reported of young women recruited for non-existent jobs, and then coerced into prostitution,” said Cohen, citing over 30 verified trafficking victims receiving services in the CNMI.
This, he said, “far exceeds the incidence of trafficking victims in the United States on a per capita basis.”