ICE Western Regional Communications director/spokesperson Virginia Kice said, “If a person is ordered deported by an immigration judge, ICE is responsible for arranging that person’s transportation and covering any costs.”
Kice told Variety that their agency coordinates closely with foreign consulates on all removals. “But again, this would apply only to individuals who have been through immigration proceedings and are being formally deported.”
The agency is focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that prioritizes efforts to target those who present a risk to public safety or national security, along with criminal aliens and egregious immigration violators, said Kice.
She also said, “In the workplace, ICE’s enforcement strategy is focused on identifying employers who knowingly hire unauthorized workers and engage in related crimes such as worker exploitation, visa fraud and human smuggling and trafficking.”
“Since the implementation of the Immigration and Nationality Act in the CNMI two years ago, ICE has strengthened its partnerships with local law enforcement. Those relationships serve as a crucial foundation in the ongoing collaborative effort to promote public safety and ensure the security of the commonwealth,” said Kice.
She also clarified that the determination on a person’s deportability is handled by an immigration judge.
“If an immigration judge orders an alien removed from the United States, the U.S. government bears any costs associated with the individual’s deportation.”
She also said ICE does not maintain statistics on the estimated undocumented alien population in particular states or regions.
In a previous media outreach session, USCIS made clear that those who have accumulated unlawful presence in the CNMI should leave.
Honolulu District Director told journalists those caught overstaying for six months will be banned from entering the United States for three years.
Those who have accumulated unlawful presence over one year may not be able to enter the CNMI, Guam or any other U.S. state or jurisdiction for 10 years.
USCIS also advises nonresidents to keep their parole current while awaiting adjudication of either I-129CW or H-1B petitions.
For those offering false information to the jobless nonresidents, USCIS regional media manager Marie Therese Sebrechts said, “No one should provide false hope that parole is an answer to a foreign worker’s immigration situation if he or she is not eligible. They should instead concentrate on making real plans for the future, either through employment in the CNMI or elsewhere. There is no general parole available for people who just want to stay in the CNMI without employment.”
USCIS, however, will consider granting parole for urgent humanitarian reasons, including compelling medical or special needs situations, when the existing foreign caregivers have worked for the same disabled or special needs individual prior to November 28, 2011,” Sebrechts said.
