We have no problems with anyone wanting citizenship or any type of status so long as the administrative process of applying through the appropriate channels are followed. I say this for it seems like Interior, the federal ombudsman, and now our very own U.S. Congressional Delegate Gregorio “Kilili” Sablan are in favor and fully supporting such a recommendation to the U.S. Congress.
The people of the CNMI must ask important and direct questions to those individuals pursuing such recommendations to include their motives in the granting across the board such citizenship or permanent residency:
1. What are the consequences to our social and cultural well-being of our people and those of our future generations? This was well recognized during our Covenant negotiations.
2. Is the CNMI being used to push a political agenda? And is it fair for those millions of individuals that had gone through the administrative process legally, or are still waiting in line to obtain their citizenship? Can U.S. Congress actually bypass their own border control laws?
3. What about our infrastructure and economy? As it stands today we have power, sewer, and environmental serious issues in our homeland. Who is going to shoulder full funding in improving our infrastructure and economy should U.S. Congress enact another law for the CNMI without the full consent and will of the indigenous people of the land?
4. Do the people of the CNMI fully understand what the federal agencies and our own U.S. congressional delegate’s intentions are?
Remember that our homeland is nothing but a tiny speck on the globe and certainly we are not the Virgin Islands and we must not allow our island to be used as a testing ground for “AMNESTY” across the board as in the case of over 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States still waiting for U.S. Congress to act on their demands for U.S. citizenship. As a reminder our Congressional Delegate Gregorio Kilili Sablan is currently a member of the Latino caucus pushing and supporting “amnesty” across the board. How many of the 20,000 guest workers are here illegally? Zero! they are now under the federal protection clause of Public Law 110-229 harbored by the federal ombudsman and the Department of the Interior.
GREGORIO CRUZ
Taotao Tano
