“We’re a separate jurisdiction from Guam. We deserve the same dignity and respect,” he said.
Camacho, R-Saipan, said he will introduce a resolution requesting the U.S. Department of Justice to appoint a U.S. attorney, U.S. Marshal and U.S. probation officer for the commonwealth, and to construct a new federal courthouse here.
“In the past we talked about the construction of a building but it never happened. I hope the U.S. government can inject at least $30 million for the federal courthouse,” he told Variety, adding that the federal court is presently renting office space at Horiguchi Building in Garapan.
Camacho said he pre-filed House Joint Resolution 16-7 on Friday and is hoping his colleagues in the House and Senate will support it.
In his resolution, Camacho stated that the CNMI is now a permanent part of, and in full union, with the U.S. and “this…was recently strengthened by the US Congress with the enactment of the Public Law 110-229, which extended the reach of U.S. immigration laws fully to the CNMI and created the office of the CNMI delegate to the U.S. House of Representative.”
The CNMI, he added, has historically been geographically and politically distinct from the neighboring territory of Guam “because we are commonwealth and we have a permanent relationship with the U.S. that is much higher political level.”
Camacho said “the CNMI and Guam are the only districts to share a U.S. attorney, U.S. Marshal and chief probation officer, and there’s no permanent federal courthouse facility in the CNMI.”
Camacho said the CNMI is “mature enough and deserves to get its own three separate offices” for these federal positions.
