Speech #1060031420

That response was too long in coming. Parenthetically. I would note that INS did not care about extending immigration laws to the Northern Marianas until after the Readers Digest and other publications began to question the Administrations commitment to human rights and the White House became concerned with its image. A continuing concern for my Committee over the years has been the reluctance of Executive Branch agencies. specifically the INS. to treat the Marianas as part of the United States. Up until last Congress. the INS resisted any attempt to extend the immigration laws to the Northern Mariana Islands. That resistance was not based on policy grounds or from a belief that the Northern Marianas was operating an effective immigration system. but from the narrow administrative concern of not wanting to dedicate the personnel and resources. I must admit that I have some apprehension over how solid the recent conversion of the INS is. Last Congress. they testified in support of the Administrations proposal to extend the immigration laws. They promised the Committee that they would dedicate the necessary resources to ensure successful implementation. Now we see that they are unwilling to dedicate the resources in Guam. where federal immigration laws already apply. until they are directed to do so by the White House. The situation in the Marianas may be sufficiently problematic that we will have to go forward with the legislation despite my reservations. I intend to closely examine the INS when we schedule hearings on this legislation. I also am concerned over the Administrations decision to use the Northern Marianas as a holding area for illegal aliens who are intercepted at sea. On May 8. the Coast Guard intercepted a Taiwanese vessel with 80 people suspected of trying to illegally enter Guam. The vessel was escorted to Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands. Apparently the Administration made that decision because the federal immigration laws do not apply in the Marianas and that makes it easier to repatriate the aliens and prevent them from claiming asylum. If we extend the immigration laws. as one portion of the Administration wants. we will frustrate the interdiction and repatriation program being pursued by another portion of the Administration. The Committee will need to sort this out during our hearings. I also will look forward to an explanation of why the use of Tinian in the Northern Marianas avoids claims of asylum.