The act also granted a path toward legalization to certain agricultural seasonal workers and immigrants who had been continuously and illegally present in the United states since Jan. 1, 1982.
So if President Obama and the majority U.S. Democrats decide to give amnesty to the guest workers on Saipan do our local government have a chance to overturn this kind of tough decision?
Congress and the president want to protect the middle class but then if we look at the upcoming 2012 elections the Latino vote favors the U.S. Democratic Party even though 60 percent of Americans agree with the Arizona immigration law.
Could this immigration hot issue be put on the back burner and revived when the presidential election season starts in 2012?
Just from analyzing this immigration issue the pollsters favor the U.S. Democrats in getting all the Latino votes and it looks like President Obama is leaning toward the Latinos to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill with or without Republican backing.
Where does this leave the CNMI government which is blocking improved status for guest workers?
After all, the CNMI leaders have a bad rap with Democrats George Miller and Nancy Pelosi over labor abuses done to guest workers and also to our local people who have denied a fair minimum wage provided to other U.S. citizens.
We have to take all these things into consideration before arguing our case to the U.S. Congress.
I mean, let’s not kid ourselves here. After all, our local government sued the federal government and lost. We might lose again because the Democrats rule Congress.
Things don’t change but we can change as a people. We can change by giving our workers a decent common sense minimum wage. Let’s hope and pray that the U.S. Congress do the right thing.
JOAQUIN ROMOLOR
Portland, Oregon
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