THE Department of Commerce is supporting the passage of two pending bills that would prevent sham marriages and allow illegal aliens to avail of the limited immunity program.
Acting Commerce Secretary Fermin T. Atalig said House Bill 13-103 would not only allow illegal aliens to report themselves to the Department of Labor and Immigration, it would also enable them to be lawfully employed in the CNMI.
This bill is authored by House Labor and Immigration Subcommittee Chairman Herman T. Palacios, R-Saipan, and co-sponsored by seven other lawmakers.
Atalig said that when the CNMI implemented the first limited immunity program in Sept. 1998, 3,219 illegal aliens came forward to seek gainful and legal employment. Of this number, 2,264 found employment.
“We hope that another limited immunity law would surpass (the 1998 program’s) success,” Atalig said. With businesses closing their doors and displacing employees, the timing “could not have been any better” for this bill, Atalig said.
However, processing illegal aliens will not “run smoothly,” and DOLI should prepare once the bill is signed into law, he said.
Palacios also authored H.B. 13-104, which Atalig also supports.
The bill states that foreign nationals should not become U.S. citizens or permanent residents by way of sham marriages. “U.S. citizens or permanent residents who perpetrate such marriages with foreign nationals must pay the price and this bill addresses this serious issue,” Atalig said.
But the bill should also be clarified, he added. “It should state whether DOLI or the U.S. has jurisdiction over immigration fraud involving foreign nationals applying for a green card or a U.S. passport through sham marriages.”
