The permits will expire in eight months.
Demapan told Variety that Gov. Benigno R. Fitial has yet to receive an official response from U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano after he discussed this matter with her last month, but “we were assured that the commonwealth’s concerns will be taken into account as [DHS] reviews this matter further.”
The administration, Demapan said, has been consistent in its stance that the commonwealth will still need guest workers to augment the resident workforce.
This is why the governor “pitched” the extension of umbrella permits in Washington, D.C. where he met with Napolitano and other DHS officials, Demapan said.
The administration, he added, continues to bat for the extension of umbrella permits especially at a time when businesses face uncertainty about the future of their nonresident employees since the DHS has yet to issue federal regulations for the hiring of guest workers.
Rabby Syed, president of the United Workers Movement, said they oppose the extension of the umbrella permits because it will create more problems.
He said they know that not all guest workers are being taken into consideration by the Fitial administration.
Syed said he and his group are aware that the governor is asking for extension only of the skilled workers’ umbrella permits. Those that do not fall under this category will still have to leave the CNMI after Nov. 28, 2011, he added.
Syed also does not believe that DHS has the authority to extend umbrella permits.
“It is only the U.S. Congress that can decide whether to extend the umbrella permit or not. And in that case, we are asking the U.S. lawmakers to instead grant guest workers improved status in,” Syed said.
He said they are still hoping that the U.S. Congress would still consider the Department of the Interior’s improved status recommendations.
Syed said they are also opposed to a 10-year requirement in the CNMI Senate recommendation for a Freely Associated State-like status.
Congressman Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan has said that the U.S. Congress will not give guest workers an “automatic” green card or U.S. citizenship.
He said “the atmosphere in the U.S. Congress with regard to anything involving immigration is not very good.”
