Last week, Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan met with CBP officials to discuss these complaints.
“I stressed that at a time when the CNMI is competing for tourists and working hard to attract potential investors, their first impression of our islands is critical — and the interaction with CBP is a significant part of that first impression,” Sablan said.
He said he helped facilitate a similar meeting with CBP and local officials on Feb. 9 on Saipan.
“The Marianas Visitors Authority has reported to me that complaints have fallen off since then. CBP invested more in overtime pay so the border is adequately staffed during peak hours and worked to improve communications with stakeholders in the NMI,” he added.
“Today’s meeting was a follow-up. The officials reported that renovations began last month of the space that CBP inherited from the CNMI immigration operation. This should help improve the situation. I was also informed that 11 of the CBP personnel are now local hires, which I believe can also make a difference in our visitors experience at the border,” Sablan said.
If you do experience difficulty or have a comment or complaint about CBP, you can speak to the supervisor on duty, submit a comment card available at the counters or online at CBP complaints/comments: https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1160/kw/complaints/session/L3NpZC8xM2ktNjdvaw%3D%3D
