Re: The NMI's nonresident issue (Letter to the Editor, Marianas Variety, 25July2011)

So this week, Winnie Atalig wrote another letter to the editor, this time sharing her "thoughts on how the CNMI should decide on this nonresident issue."  First of all, I would like to begin by checking with our good friends at Merriam-Webster just what exactly the word "resident" means: living in a place for some length of time.  I know I have stressed this before, but apparently people still don't quite understand it, so I will say it again: going by the dictionary definition of the word, most of these contract workers are NOT guests or nonresidents; they are actually residents of the CNMI.


Moving on to her first point, she says, "Nonresidents and residents should come to an agreement that proves that nonresidents are needed here and that without them our lives would be affected."  To this I say: the residents of the CNMI do not need to come to any such agreement; the proof that the non-indigenous residents are needed in the CNMI is all around us.  Just take a step outside your house or work place, and look at the paved roads, the schools, the government buildings, the banks, and other local attractions: the non-indigenous residents of the CNMI whom you insist on calling "nonresidents" were the ones who, over the past few decades, were mostly responsible for their development.


In her next bullet she states, "All problems that can be corrected by a regulatory agency should not be used as testimony as it invites more negative thoughts."  Just what, exactly, does she consider a problem that can be corrected by a regulatory agency?  Last I checked, none of the local "regulatory agencies" were capable of correcting any of the labor & immigration related problems; wasn't that the main reason that the federal government stepped in and took over the system?


She then goes on to say, "Changes require a lot of things.  That is why nonresidents should tell us, the people of the CNMI, why they want to stay with us and become one of us so that we can welcome them to stay here, our homeland. All of us must apologize for our mistakes and help make them right."  While I am not completely against this one, because I do believe that we all must apologize for our mistakes and help make them right, I fail to understand why she needs all of the non-indigenous residents of the CNMI to declare their reasons for wanting to stay in the CNMI.  They sought a better life, and found it in the CNMI.  I cannot speak with full-on certainty that this is true for the multitudes of non-indigenous CNMI residents, but I believe that for many, the reason is as simple as that.  Is it so wrong to dream of a better life and to do whatever it takes to achieve that dream?


Next, she really sticks her neck out there by stating, "Testimony that applies to one person is not enough to prove you deserve to be welcomed here."  To this, I have but two things to say: 1. It can be said that a testimony that applies to one person can most likely apply to many others as well, due to the general similarities in the plight of many non-indigenous CNMI resident workers.  2. Why do any of these non-indigenous CNMI resident workers have to prove that they deserve to be welcomed here?  If tourists are welcomed to the Islands without having to prove that they deserve a warm welcome, why should CNMI residents who have been working in our country for many years have to do so?  If the case were that everyone in the CNMI had to prove that they deserved to be welcomed here, then could it not be said that the non-indigenous CNMI resident workers deserve to be welcomed here more than the unemployed members of the local indigenous population who live out their days taking advantage of SNAP and waiting for handouts?


I am skipping her next bullet, because all it does is show an example of her idea of how a non-indigenous CNMI resident worker can prove that he or she deserves to stay in the CNMI.  Seeing as how I have already covered that particular topic in my previous paragraph, I will instead cover the bullet after that, in which she says, "90 percent of the residents agree to have nonresidents as residents."  I hate to break it to her, but one-hundred percent of the residents agreed to have "nonresidents" as residents.  They did this when they all agreed to have foreigners come in as labor units to fill the jobs that they (the local indigenous population) did not want to do.  Because most of these foreigners stayed in the CNMI doing these jobs for years, they essentially became residents of the CNMI, and this was completely fine with the local indigenous population, as long as these workers kept doing their jobs.


Her next point is that "Local residents are given enough proof to welcome the nonresidents and at least 99 percent of the outcomes are to our liking. "  I already went over the issue of needing to provide proof when it comes to welcoming the non-indigenous residents, so I won't repeat myself down here.  What I do have to say to this is, what makes the local indigenous residents so special that "at least 99 percent of the outcomes" must be to their liking?  The way it sounds to me, she's trying to say that the local indigenous population should have the final say in everything when it comes to the issue of these non-indigenous CNMI resident workers.  Can someone please explain to me how this is fair?


She brings out a final point, saying that "Laws should be in place to protect CNMI Chamorro and Carolinian assets and culture."  I agree with this one-hundred percent, but I do not see how it relates to the non-indigenous CNMI resident issue.  I definitely believe that laws should have been in place a long time ago to protect and preserve the Chamorro and Carolinian language and culture.  However, I fail to see a connection between that and the current issue.  Is she trying to spread fear by implying that the non-indigenous CNMI resident workers pose a threat to the local Chamorro and Carolinian culture?  This simply is not true, because these people have been around for decades, and to the best of my knowledge, they have not done anything to try to attack, alter, or remove the local Chamorro and Carolinian culture.  Any changes to the local Chamorro and Carolinian culture are a result of cultural globalization and were not caused by the non-indigenous residents moving in.


She ends her letter saying that those were a few thoughts that she felt were fair, and asks if we felt so as well.  I think you already know that my answer is an intense and resounding "NO!"  Thank you for your time, Marianas; I apreciate every second of it that you have spent reading my letter.

Re: Questionable thoughts (Letter to the Editor, Marianas Variety, 20July2011)

Winnie Atalig of San Jose, Tinian wrote a letter to the editor on July 20th, 2011 that was titled “Questionable thoughts.”  In this response to her letter, I attempt to answer a few of her questions.

She asks why everyone is fighting for U.S. citizenship for contract workers.  Everyone is NOT fighting for U.S. citizenship for contract workers.  Everyone is fighting for lawful permanent residence in the CNMI for qualifying alien workers.  Contrary to popular belief, lawful permanent residence and U.S. citizenship are not the same thing.

Then, she goes on to say that she is a U.S. citizen and she didn’t have to make the choice that these thousands of children will be forced to make.  I am glad that she is a U.S. citizen and did not have to choose between her father’s country and her citizenship.  She is a grown woman, so this is understandable.  However, the people today who will be forced to make this choice are mostly children who are anywhere between the ages of 7-17, maybe even older or younger.  Is she honestly saying that these children, using their “freedom of choice,” should have to choose between staying here in the only home they have ever known or following their parents back to their home, a land and culture that is completely foreign to the children?

She then asks, “Who is the United States favoring?”  The United States is not favoring anyone.   The U.S. is simply trying to give what is due to the CNMI residents who came from elsewhere to build a better life in the CNMI.  The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word "resident" as:  living in a place for some length of time : residing.  Going with this definition, there are MANY foreign workers who are CNMI residents.  They have been living in the CNMI for 10-20 years and consider it their home.  They have raised numerous children in the CNMI as U.S. citizens and have put them in the public schools that have taught them to love the CNMI Anthem.  These CNMI residents are only seeking to be officially recognized as legal permanent residents of the Islands.  There is nothing in H.R. 1466 that grants or even guarantees U.S. citizenship to foreign workers.  H.R. 1466 simply seeks "to provide certain persons residing in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands a status applicable solely within the Commonwealth in order to allow such persons to remain lawfully in the Commonwealth."  Subparagraph (A) of H.R. 1466 describes this in detail:

(A) CNMI-ONLY RESIDENT STATUS- Notwithstanding paragraph (1), an alien described in subparagraph (C) may, upon the application of the alien, be admitted as an immigrant to the Commonwealth subject to the following rules:

     (i) The alien shall be treated as a permanent resident of the Commonwealth only, including permitting entry to and exit from the Commonwealth, until the earlier of the date that--

          (I) the alien ceases to permanently reside in the Commonwealth; or

          (II) the alien's status is adjusted under this section or section 245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1255) to that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence, as defined under section 101(a)(20) of such Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(20)), if the alien is otherwise eligible for such an adjustment.

     (ii) Unless otherwise authorized, the alien shall not be permitted to travel to, or reside in, any part of the United States, as defined in section 101(a)(38) of such Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(38)), other than the Commonwealth.

This should not affect other alien workers in other states, because other states treat their alien workers humanely and consider them a viable part of their community.  They don’t see them as permanent aliens or temporary workers.  Also, this won’t lead to more questions and thoughts among others who are applying for U.S. citizenship in other states, because H.R. 1466 has nothing to do with U.S. citizenship.  As I explained earlier, it deals solely with CNMI permanent residence.

In her letter, she asks the question, “What if you were us and we are in your country and we are to do the same?”  While she asked that question regarding a slightly different issue, I must ask essentially the same question, regarding the issue of H.R. 1466: What if the tables were turned and you were in the foreign workers’ position?  What if you had been living and working in a particular place for 10-20 years and were still considered nothing more than a “temporary foreign worker” with none of the rights afforded to other residents (again, refer to the dictionary definition of “resident”)?  Would you not be upset?  Would you not seek lawful permanent residence?  If you answer “no” to these questions, then I must say, you are either lying, or you are just a very inhumane person.  

She asks why the U.S. Congress is entertaining testimonies for granting citizenships in our home (the CNMI).  To this, I say, please direct me to these sessions of Congress in which they are entertaining testimonies for granting U.S. citizenships in the CNMI.  The only session I can find is one in which testimonies were given on why these residents of the CNMI deserve to become lawful permanent residents.  If you can show me the session which you speak of, I would greatly appreciate it.  She continues to ask questions about giving these CNMI residents U.S. citizenship, and I’ve already gone over that point numerous times in this letter, so I will refrain from commenting on that particular point from now on.

Many people on island are trying to depict these thousands of CNMI residents as greedy aliens seeking a free hand-out.  While I cannot speak for the entire foreign worker population of the CNMI, I can say that this is simply not the case for most of them.  Most of these people have been living and working in the Commonwealth for a very long time, much longer than it would take to qualify for residency in the United States for college state resident tuition purposes.  They have poured their time and effort over the years into the active development and improvement of the CNMI and its public services.  In all honesty, they are the lifeblood of the CNMI’s development.  They have built our roads, our hospitals, our schools, and our hotels, among many other things.  These people, these RESIDENTS of the CNMI are asking only one thing in return for everything that they have done for us all, and that is the ability to legally reside in the CNMI.  We can’t even give them THAT?  Why?  I’ll tell you why.  It’s because the greedy people in charge want to keep exploiting these human beings and making them work their life away to develop the Islands without a voice.  They want to keep them as slaves until the day they die.  We cannot let this go on, my fellow Americans and CNMIslanders.  These CNMI residents deserve to have a voice, too.  They deserve to be heard just as much as we do.

I do have to agree with something that she said at the end of her letter, however.  It is my personal belief that something needs to be done to ensure the continuity of the Chamorro and Carolinian language and cultural history in the Islands.  Perhaps someone on the Hill can introduce something that makes Chamorro and Carolinian studies (language, culture, and history) a mandatory part of a school’s yearly curriculum.  The islands are so rich with Micronesian culture, but I feel that we are not doing enough to ensure that everyone is familiar with it.  I know when i went through high school, the only requirement in this area was that I take NMI History.  This is simply not enough.  We need to make sure that every child that goes through our schools learns everything they can about our local indigenous language, culture, and history, every year.  This is what sets us apart from the rest of the world, and we need to give it much more attention.  Everyone I came across that I showed the local culture to while I was in the military was absolutely fascinated by it.  Just think about what would happen if we could broadcast our historical culture to the entire world!

In closing, I would like to remind you all that no matter what people would like you to believe, H.R. 1466 has absolutely nothing to do with granting U.S. Citizenship to contract workers in the CNMI.  This is the most important point of this letter, and if you take away just one thing from reading this letter, please let this be it: LAWFUL PERMANENT RESIDENCE IN THE CNMI IS NOT THE SAME AS U.S. CITIZENSHIP.  Don’t be fooled.  If you have not done so yet, I highly encourage you to read the text of H.R. 1466 so that you can gain a true understanding of what it entails.  Thank you for your time, fellow people of the CNMI.  Every second of it is precious and much appreciated.