Marie Therese Sebrechts and Janna Evans were here on a weeklong trip to educate the community and listen to the concerns of the CNMI’s various sectors.
Under the federalization law, Sebrechts said there are only two non-citizen categories: immigrants and non-immigrants.
Those with IR status should work on their immigrations papers prior to June 1, 2009, she added.
“It’s the best time to do it before times get confusing,” she said. “So we’re encouraging them that they get their [U.S. permanent resident] status during this transition…because the future is unknown until [the regulation] is finished. I would never recommend anybody to wait because there might be some changes. If you have the opportunity, do it now, before it’s too late.”
From March to June, Homeland Security will open on Saipan an application support center to assist those who want to work on their IR status.
Federal staffers will also go to Rota and Tinian if there’s a need for them to be there.
Sebrechts said their visit last week will help them answer any questions on the federalization law when they come back before June.
“When we come back, we hope that this ‘small investment’ that we made today will pay off,” she said.
They want the CNMI people to express their views and sentiments during the comment period, she added.
“It is not too late — the regs are not yet final. There’s always room for change. Comments are very powerful tools in our democracy for the development of rules and regulations,” she said.
All the comments will be used to guide any changes to the law.
Sebrechts said a U.S. citizen must be at least 21 years old before he or she can petition non-U.S. citizen parents.
However, she added that they are still “clueless” regarding the specific provisions of this rule.
“This is one of the reasons why Homeland Security, for several months in discussing the federalization law, is trying to get statistics and data on this specific category. However, data here are ‘inconsistent.’ At this point in time, we don’t know yet,” she said.
When opening its application support center, DHS will designate information officers to help CNMI applicants.
“It’s always better to find out earlier rather than later,” Sebrechts said.
She acknowledged that the CNMI has “unique conditions.”
