The very poor enforcement of our local immigration law allows the following to continue: Aliens operating businesses, illegal student permits, prostitution, illegal employment, illegal IR marriages, illegal taxis, illegal tour bus operators, illegal boat captains, illegal sponsorship of pregnant women that enter the CNMI to give birth here and leave over three million dollars of uncollected medical bills.
I read about the recent incident regarding Korean nurses that were allowed to enter the CNMI by a sponsor that they paid six thousand dollars each, and were promised CHC job and training. They spoke no English, and were told that CHC would train them.
These problems fall on the heads and supervisors of our local Immigration.
Why do they expect U.S. Immigration to give them jobs with this kind of a track record?
There are several reported illegal activities that local Immigration is aware of — and nothing has been done. The only answer local Immigration has is it’s short of staff. But with 72 employees at Immigration I find that hard to believe.
But I do not support the takeover of our local Labor Department by the U.S. government, although the same is happening with illegal employment at Labor. The enforcement division of Labor is well aware that illegal activities are þhappening in Garapan — employees working for the wrong employers, but again, there is no enforcement of the law.
All the employee has to do is make an excuse about mistreatment and the enforcement department of Labor will look the other way.
To the Immigration and Labor heads, the question is this: Do you believe that U.S. Immigration is not aware of these problems caused by your agencies?
Wake up!
M ALVAREZ
Garapan, Saipan
