THE Department of Labor and Immigration and the Saipan Chamber of Commerce favor the proposed granting of limited immunity to overstaying foreign workers.
DOLI Secretary Joaquin A. Tenorio said his office supports the passage of House Bill 13-103, which proposes to allow illegal aliens to present themselves to the department which will then allow them to become lawfully employed.
“We’re amenable to that. We actually encourage the unregistered foreign workers to come voluntarily so we could help them get new employment,” Tenorio said in an interview.
Saipan Chamber of Commerce President Richard A. Pierce said the passage of the bill would be beneficial to the economy.
“It’s something that we support. These individuals need to be brought back to the system,” Pierce said. Estimates showed that there were about 5,000 undocumented non-resident workers in the CNMI.
According to DOLI, about half of them had surrendered voluntary after the enactment of Public Law 11-33, the first Limited Immunity Act.
However, the CNMI “is still faced with a chronic problem of overstaying non-resident workers,” according to lawmakers.
“There continues to be a need for these individuals to fill employment positions that would otherwise remain unfilled due to the CNMI’s small workrforce,” they added.
The proposed measure aims to allow all undocumented foreigners to work legally in the CNMI or voluntarily exit the commonwealth without arrest or criminal penalty.
