Congress (Public Law 94241.) At that point. Saipan. now known as the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. or CNMI. became an insular possession of the United States. CNMI negotiators for this Covenant sought an exemption from U.S. immigration laws. This exemption was granted. but it came with a clear warning from the Reagan Administration: the exemption was not to be used to bring in a permanent alien labor force in order to evade duties and quotas on Asian textile products and to provide unfair competition to domestic textile industry. The duty free and quota free treatment provided to Headnote 3(a) industries such as textiles was to benefit local U.S. citizens living and working in the CNMI. In a letter to the Governor of the CNMI in May of 1986. the year in which the Covenant was adopted. the Assistant Secretary for Territorial and International Affairs of Interior Department in the Reagan Administration. Richard R. Montoya. issued the following clear warnings to the Government of the CNMI: The recent news reports on the tremendous growth in alien labor in the Northern Mariana Islands are extremely disturbing .... I would be remiss if I did not speak frankly to you on the possible consequences of the NMIs alien labor policy. As I have often stated. the intent of the Congress in providing the privilege of Headnote 3(a) to the territories is to benefit local and not alien job and business growth. The extensive and permanent use of alien labor in Headnote 3(a) industries is an abuse which cannot be tolerated by the [Reagan] Administration. The objectives of the recently negotiated Covenant financial agreement could be derailed as the wholesale transfer of U.S. tax. trade and social benefits to nonU.S. citizens occurs under the CNMIs alien labor promotion policies. Mr. President.
Keywords matched
alien labor immigration