Press Secretary Charles Reyes Jr. told Variety that the governor could not meet with the visiting congressional staff members led by Tony Babauta, staff director for the U.S. House Subcommittee on Insular Affairs.
Villagomez, his sister, her husband — Fitial’s Commerce secretary — and a former CUC official were indicted on Monday for conspiracy to defraud the federal government, wire fraud and theft of federal funds.
The visiting congressional staffers left the island on Tuesday.
They did meet, however, with representatives of different guest workers groups.
Irene Tantiado, former president of the Coalition of United Workers (NMI), said they met with the delegation on Monday afternoon.
Tantiado said the visiting congressional staffers reiterated that there is no way long-term guest workers in the CNMI will be given green cards regardless of who will be the next U.S. president.
They did say, however, that as part of the federalization law, the U.S. Congress is mandated to report on the changes in the immigration policy of the CNMI two years from 2009.
U.S. Public Law 110-229 will federalize the CNMI’s immigration system starting June 1, 2009.
All foreign workers will then be treated as transitional workers under the federally administered guest worker permit program.
The CNMI hosts over 18,000 foreign workers, mostly from China and the Philippines.
