This was according to CNMI Congressman Gregorio C. Sablan who was a guest speaker at the Rotary Club meeting yesterday.
“The regulations…are called interim final rule because it’s not yet ‘final-final,’ ” Sablan said.
“Please don’t panic, we’re not there yet,” he said.
Sablan would like to include in the regulations an appeal process allowing the CNMI to appeal if it does not agree with the decisions of the Department of Homeland Security regarding the visa waiver program.
“I don’t feel comfortable with the fact that they have not told us they would include China and Russia in the waiver program,” he said.
“We need to have that appeal process in case we disagree with them because they could include the Russians and Chinese in the visa waiver program today and take it off next year and we will be in the same situation,” he said.
Homeland Security said Russia and China cannot be included in the visa waiver program because of political, security and law enforcement concerns.
“The problem with Russia is the Department of State, it’s a problem that’s going on in Europe, while the problem with China is the Pentagon and it has something to do with the military build-up on Guam,” Sablan said. “They don’t want the Chinese to be working on projects for the military — they don’t want the Chinese to be working nearby while there is military training on Tinian, so we got a real serious problem.”
When the federalization of local immigration starts on Nov. 28, tourists from countries not included in the visa waiver program must secure a U.S. visa before they can visit CNMI.
Sablan said he is still not convinced that the implementation of the federalization law should be delaye again.
“I haven’t changed my mind about more delays for the sake of delay, or for the sake of the many arguments going on,” he said.
He said the only reason Homeland Security granted a 180-day last March was because it was not yet ready to implement the federalization law.
According to Sablan, he has been in constant communication with the office of DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano to ensure a smooth transition.
