Nonresident parents whose U.S. citizen children have disabilities may have to leave the CNMI once local immigration is federalized.
They will have to bring their children with them when they return to their home countries.
Dr. Kent R. Logan of the Dekalb County School System, Atlanta, Georgia, encouraged these parents to find work in Saipan so they can stay and continue to attend the needs of their children with disabilities.
“It’s a very sad situation,” said Logan, who was on Saipan for the week-long celebration of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.
He added, however, that “right now in the U.S., it’s hard — there’s a strong backlash against immigrants.”
Council of Developmental Disabilities chairwoman Marissa Guerrero said their obligation is to make sure that U.S. citizen children with disabilities are given the same opportunity as every other child regardless of ethnicity.
“We can advocate for those [nonresident] parents to receive services and training but I think that’s very different from concentrating on the child’s needs so that this child can be independent and self-employed and not end up in the welfare system,” she said.
Guerrero said the children are their responsibility.
“If they are here we are going to take care of them.”
She urged parents to appreciate the abilities and not the disabilities of their children.
“Once you get away from the disability anything is possible for that child,” she said.
