Some immigration employees have apparently looked for other employment opportunities in anticipation of the changes on the islands’ immigration system on Nov. 28.
Some of them won’t be absorbed in the new system unless they have the basic federal qualifications.
Last month, two more personnel left the division others have retired.
Immigration Director Melvin Grey said most of those who have left are seeking opportunities in the U.S. mainland.
He expressed dismay over the U.S. government’s failure to accommodate immigration personnel in CNMI.
He said the federal government is looking to take care of alien workers but is not doing anything for the indigenous people, especially the immigration personnel.
“To me the federal government is not following the law,” he said, adding that the laws clearly states to the “maximum of usefulness” they will hire people from within the CNMI.”
Out of the 14 who took the qualifying examination for a federal immigration employment, seven passed but one is now dropped because she is over aged.
Less than 10 percent of the 68 remaining local immigration officers have a chance to qualify for federal jobs, said Grey.
He said the rest are automatically disqualified because they are over the age limit of 37 or do not meet the requirement of at least three years work experience.
At present, there are only 55 left in the immigration division, and 30 have left since Grey became the immigration director in 2006.
“There’s much more they could have done but they’ve done nothing,” he said.
To maximize their manpower, Grey said they have to transfer some immigration officers from San Antonio office to the airport and vice versa to attend the processing of the arriving guests and visitors.
He said the processing work in their main office is not that heavy anymore because the volume of tourists coming had declined.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it will conduct a nationwide hiring program for immigration and customs personnel to be assigned in the Commonwealth.
Grey said while the law calls for special consideration for local officers applying for the federal immigration jobs, his personnel are not getting such treatment.
He said the federal government is not coordinating with his office but was “only doing on its own like what they did on the visa waiver program that would completely hurt the economy of CNMI.”
