THE Tinian Chamber of Commerce Inc. supports U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan’s H.R. 560, which proposes to grant CNMI-only permanent-resident status to eligible long-term guest workers in the Commonwealth.
H.R. 560 is now Section 1207 of the proposed U.S. Citizenship Act or H.R. 1177 that Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Ca., and Sen. Robert Menendez, D-NJ, introduced last month.
Backed by the U.S. House leadership, H.R. 1177 will provide an “earned path to citizenship, to address the root causes of migration and responsibly manage the southern border, and to reform the immigrant visa system.”
In his letter to Kilili, Tinian Chamber of Commerce vice chairman Don A. Farrell said, “We have known these good people for many years and have found them to be valuable members of the community,” referring to the long-term guest workers who will be granted permanent CNMI status if H.R. 1177 becomes law.
Farrell said many of these workers have children born in the CNMI and have attended school with local residents’ children. Some have married into local families “and share food with us at traditional gatherings.”
“We have found them to be good, honest, hardworking residents of our island and hope they will remain here as long as they wish,” Farrell said.
He added that many of the guest workers have had the same employment at one of the local retail outlets for many years.
“It is wrong for them, their families and their employers to wait, anxiously, for their papers to be renewed annually,” Farrell said.
Although the Covid-19 pandemic has negatively affected the CNMI economy, Farrell said, “We will rebuild that economy and will need these loyal and faithful employees to support our regrowth, not just this year but for the years to come.”
“Your legislation will help relieve this problem,” he added.
“The CNMI has gone through great hardships in the last few years from Super Typhoon Yutu, and then, Covid-19. Unfortunately, USCIS has caused our employees and businesses constant stress since U.S. Department of Homeland Security began implementing the foreign labor program in 2009,” Farrell said.
“Thank you, again Kilili, for your service to our Commonwealth and we hope to see H.R. 560 adopted by the U.S. Congress as soon as possible,” he added.
