He also said his heart belongs to “my people,” in reaction to Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan’s urging him to “open” his “ heart.”
In an interview with KSPN-2 Fitial said he will “not lay back and do nothing” about USCIS’ decision.
The governor said the law is the law and nobody can change it except the U.S. Congress, referring to U.S.P.L. 110-229, which federalized the local immigration system.
“Now they impose this policy so they will have more time to review these cases. They [USCIS] better get to work. That is my message to them.
They are not doing their job. They better do their job to weed out the burdens that I have been referring all along,” Fitial said.
He added that USCIS’ action “was shocking and contradicts promises [it] made in February 2011.
“I met with USCIS Alejandro Director Mayorkas and we discussed the issue of a ‘blanket parole.’ Director Mayorkas promised me that USCIS would not grant blanket parole. Director Mayorkas specifically committed USCIS to conduct and complete its case-by-case review prior to Nov. 27, 2011,” Fitial said.
USCIS announced last week that it will consider, on a case by case basis, a grant of parole until Dec. 31, 2012 to immediate relatives of U.S. citizens and CNMI permanent residents, including those who are “stateless.”
USCIS did not mention any blanket parole.
Fitial has asked Attorney General Ed Buckingham to look into the issue and, if possible, prevent its implementation.
“The law is not on their [USCIS] side. The law is very clear,” he said, adding that the primary purpose of U.S.P.L. 119-229 is “to weed out burdens — all nonresidents who are not qualified to continue working in the CNMI.”
The governor said he knows who in Washington D.C. are behind this idea. “These are the same players that originated and concocted the [federalization law] They are more than one person. I cannot name them,” he added.
The governor urged CNMI lawmakers to join him in the effort to stop USCIS from granting parole.
“Yeah I have a heart for my people,” Fitial said. “Where does his heart belong?” he added, referring to Sablan.
The CNMI people, Fitial said, are suffering because they cannot get the job “that these burdens continue to hold illegally.”
Fitial said he is now focusing his energy on skills training for the local people so they can take over jobs held by foreigners.
In a statement, the governor claimed that USCIS will delay the enforcement of federal immigration provisions in the commonwealth.
“This means thousands of people will remain who don’t have jobs, who continue to drain scarce social resources in the areas of health, education and welfare,” he added.
“Those who have jobs will continue to send money off-island rather than contributing to a growing economy. And, with non-citizen workers willing to work in highly skilled jobs for $5.05 an hour, the economy of the CNMI will remain weak,” he said.
“My duty as governor is to serve the people of the commonwealth. They are being hurt by the refusal and failure of USCIS to perform its duties. I have instructed the attorney general to review USCIS conduct and give me advice on how we might proceed,” he added.
The governor said he aims at real economic growth for the CNMI, “not cheap political promises to those who are hurting our local economy and locals who want to get jobs at a living wage.”
