In 1975. the people of the CNMI voted for a political union with the United States. The 1976 covenant enacted by Congress gave U.S. citizenship to CNMI residents and extended most U.S. laws to the CNMI. However. the covenant exempted the CNMI from U.S. immigration law. As a result of the CNMIs policies. today the population has increased fivefold. from 16.000 to 80.000. This growth has made both U.S. citizens. and the indigenous people of the islands. minorities in their own communities. This legislation meets the Federal Governments interest in further implementation of the covenant. securing our borders. and in the establishment of stable immigration and labor policies on which the CNMI can build its future. The provisions included in title VII are identical to those passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on December 11. 2007. As the sponsor of the companion CNMI bill. I am pleased to report the CNMI provisions contained in S. 2739 are sensitive to the special circumstances and to the current economic downturn in the CNMI. The legislation provides a basis to transition the CNMI to Federal immigration laws. while protecting the local economy. These provisions are crucial to address the immigration abuses that have persisted in the CNMI for the past 20 years. As chairman of the Subcommittee on National Parks. I am particularly pleased to join Senator WYDEN in including a provision on cooperative agreements that will protect the natural resources on our national parks.
Keywords matched
immigration