But one thing he will not do is to tell Immigration and Customs Enforcement what to do, Sablan told reporters on Friday.
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial, for his part, said he has been asking ICE to go after overstayers in the CNMI.
Sablan said those who are here and will have status soon through their spouses or children should remain. He said he is sure these people want to stay with their families so he does not expect them to leave.
Sablan’s H.R. 1466 will grant CNMI-only status to nonresidents married to U.S. citizens; those born from Jan. 1, 1974 to Jan. 9, 1979; those given permanent residency by the NMI government; and those who became relatives of U.S. citizens as of May 8, 2008 notwithstanding the U.S. citizen’s age.
Sablan said he appreciates the contributions of nonresidents so “we are all in this together, but it’s not my place to tell ICE what to do. I don’t do that.”
