Troubling Alien Registration
A few days ago I decided to write a letter to the editor of the Saipan Tribune about the illegal alien registration forms put out my the Federal Ombudsman Office. We have to stand up to tyranny and fight for freedom. This is my only motivation. The letter was published today so I decided to also publish it here for you all to read.
I am very concerned about the collection of information currently underway at the Federal Ombudsman’s Office for several reasons and I think everyone else should be concerned as well.
First off there are the concerns raised by Attorney Woodruff. There are no guarantees on how the information collected will be used and how long the data will be kept. I think it’s safe to say that ICE can get a hold of that data, if they so desire. Fortunately, that is a minor concern for most legal residents of the CNMI. There are bigger issues at stake.
I don’t claim to be a lawyer, but I remember from back in my school days that the Paperwork Reduction Act governs how federal government agencies gather data. It’s my understanding that all proper and legal requests for information must have an OMB control number on the form to ensure that the form complies not only with the law but also that the data collected truly is required by the government. Furthermore, it states just how the data may be used and for what purposes it may be used.
I looked very closely at the registration form prepared by the Federal Ombudsman’s Office and there is no OMB control number. There is also no Paperwork Reduction Act notice on the form. These facts alone mean that the registration form is not compulsory. You can fill it out if you want to, but there is no requirement to do it. It’s almost frightening to see that the form doesn’t have any statements on how exactly the data will be used and who will have access to that data. Some may find solace in the statements of the Ombudsperson that the data will be used only for the count of aliens, but without an OMB control number and a clear Privacy Act statement, we can only trust her and every other alphabet soup government agency that could possibly access the information.
I think that all residents of the CNMI, whether they are aliens or citizens, deserve a proper and legal count of long term guest workers in the CNMI that complies not just with Public Law 110-229 but every other law that governs how government agencies gather, collect and store data.
I hope that this will hopefully open up some eyes and get the proper people looking into this issue. Government, no matter how benign their purpose, must follow the law.
Gestapo Like Registration In Saipan
It’s not very often that someone has to report a gestapo like registration program run by the Federal Government. I am waiting for the jack booted thugs to arrive and force people to register while giving up their rights under important federal laws. The CNMI government gets a bad rap for some of its activities, but this one is all federal government.
Basically, the Federal Ombudsman’s Office in Saipan has decided to undertake an alien registration program. The official notice makes it very clear that all aliens must report and register, no matter what status they have under the law. They are expected to line up in the government office to submit their proper papers. They are warned that there must be no delay and that people who don’t register on time will not be allowed to. It sounds kind of draconian and there is nothing in the notice to say that we are dealing with a voluntary registration.
Just read it for yourself…..
Now take a look at the form….
Did you see something there? Well maybe you did. First off it looks really amateurish for a federal government form. Unfortunately, the biggest problems with the form are the things that are not there. There is no OMB number. This means that the OMB didn’t review the form to ensure that the form was a legally required request. There is no privacy act notice and paperwork reduction act notice. There is no statement that the form is completely voluntary. In other words, the form itself is in violation of federal law. Yippee.
I wonder when someone will speak up and stop this gestapo like registration program? When will someone help ensure that the law is followed?
May Day Rally and Letter To The Editor
I was upset today. I wrote my very first letter to the editor today. I was so upset after talking to the Social Security Administration and hearing for the umpteenth time that my wife still can’t get a social security card.
I used to be marginally for federalization of immigration in the CNMI. I can see some good things happening, but I also know how the feds are. Well, federalization is now a reality and will happen whether we like it or not. Unfortunately, now everyone is waiting for the implementation of the federalization and you know what, the devil is in the details.
I think that we are going on a rocky road that is going to hurt a lot of people……
Here is my letter to editor of the Saipan Tribune:
Violating the Covenant
I don’t know what the big deal is about the federal government taking over immigration and labor because even today the federal government can ultimately decide who can work in the CNMI.
It used to be my understanding that the CNMI government was able to decide who could live and work in the CNMI and that these powers were specifically given to the CNMI government through the Covenant with the United States, unless so changed by Congress. Over the last few weeks, I have come to the realization that it is all just smoke and mirrors.
How so? The federal government, through the Social Security Administration, holds the ultimate right of choosing who can live and work in the CNMI through their issuance of social security cards. My wife holds an IR permit issued by the CNMI government and in March went to the local office of the Social Security Administration to apply for a social security card. Because of a change in CNMI immigration regulations effective Jan. 1, the Social Security Administration has stopped issuing social security cards to certain classes of permit holders in the CNMI pending a review of the regulations.
Why do they need to review them? To find out whether or not the person is entitled to work in the CNMI. Never mind that the CNMI immigration has already said that they are. In other words, the Social Security Administration is attempting to be the ones who control who is eligible to work in the CNMI. Call me stupid, but I thought that was the domain of the CNMI government until Nov. 28, 2009.
Without a social security card, my wife is unable to work, even though she holds authorization from the CNMI government. My wife is unable to open a bank account and she is unable to join me on a joint bank account. This is not fair and it seems to me like it’s a violation of the law. My wife, under the law, is eligible for a social security card and it seems like a violation of her civil rights to not be allowed to apply for a social security card.
While the CNMI government is spending millions fighting federalization, why doesn’t someone file a federal lawsuit against the SSA for violating the Covenant and other laws that say that CNMI controls labor until the federal takeover? It seems like this is a pretty overt usurpation of the Covenant relationship.
I used to say that I didn’t have an opinion about federalization, I just believe in the rule of law. One of the great things about living in the USA is that the rule of law is respected. It is frankly disturbing to me that the hypocrites who want all of this federalization are unwilling to follow the rule of law and instead are overtly violating it. If overtly violating the law is what federalization is all about then count me out.
Jack Woods
Chalan Kanoa, Saipan
It’s my fear that this is only the beginning of problems and it’s part of the reason why I went to the May Day Rally this evening to have my say. Federalization can be a good thing, but if they are doing this, it’s hard to get behind things. In fact, I don’t want them to do this if they are going to start doing this.
Ok, there were abuses that happened here in Saipan, but the US Congress passed a law to clean things up. Now is the real issue, they are only half way done with it. They need to follow through and that means they need to do something concerning the status of the local alien worker community. I will be writing more on this later.
Greatest Treasure: The Marianas Trench
I love Saipan and I like having the opportunity to share the places around here. I truly believe that eco friendly tourism is the way for the local economy to grow and prosper. One of the treasures that Saipan has is the Marianas Trench.
Here is an NBC report that I found embedded on the Saipan Blog. It’s certainly worth a watch for anyone wanting to know about one of the greatest maritime treasures that the world has.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Updating The Blog
Well, it’s been awhile since I made my last blog post here. I just wanted to make a quick post to say hi and mention that very soon there will be more posts coming on here as I get settled in my new place.
Yes, I made the plunge. I moved to a beautiful tropical island paradise to try my hand at this internet business thing full time. I hope that I can be as successful as I know it’s possible to be and I hope that all of you can come along and enjoy the ride.
For now, just check out my Squidoo lensmaster page to see some of the many Squidoo lenses that I am working on right now.
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