By: Daniel Nardini
The Northern Mariana Islands. With their beautiful palm trees, their sandy beaches, and their rich native heritage, no one would think of this collection of islands as anything less than paradise. For thousands of people, these islands are in fact a hell on earth. Over the past 20 years, the islands have relied on the help of immigrant laborers to build the modern infrastructure it has (the airports and runways, the ship docks, the towns and office buildings, etc.). Over the years, the immigrants have also helped to set up businesses that take in the tourism which brings in the money from the tens of thousands of tourists (mostly from Asia) who go to the islands, and especially to the main island Saipan, to enjoy the sandy beaches, the cool Pacific waters, and the tropical weather. The majority of these foreign laborers came from the Philippines, but many also came from Indonesia and parts of Southeast Asia. Since many of them have been in the Northern Marianas for 20 years or more, they have since married and started families. Some of them have even married the native peoples—the Chamorros or the Carolinians.
However, as the Northern Mariana Islands’ economy has declined, the foreign laborers and their families are no longer welcome. It is a shame since they helped to build the very things that the Chamorros and Carolinians now enjoy, and have helped to bring in the tourism that the islands so badly need. The governor of the islands, Benigno R. Fitial, wants to throw all of the foreign laborers out—this includes their families and children who are U.S. citizens since they were born and raised on the islands (a U.S. territory). He may get his way. Since the U.S. government, which actually rules the islands, has yet to come up with an immigration plan that would make it clear what the status of these foreign laborers and their families are. In other words, these foreign laborers have no status on the islands beyond having been welcomed in years ago. Most of them came legally. However, the Northern Mariana Islands’ government has pretty wide discretion on what to do with these people. There is already serious tension and mutual distrust between the native Chamorros and Carolinians on the one hand and the foreign laborers on the other.
The way the Chamorros and Carolinians see it, these foreign laborers were supposed to be temporary and now that the economy is bad these laborers should leave. The laborers may have seen it that way at first, but eventually with families born and raised on the islands the situation has changed. Many of them feel that they should be allowed to stay since they have been there for years, and that their children are now U.S. citizens. Even though technically the children of these foreign laborers are U.S. citizens, they are widely hated by the native Chamorros and Carolinians and are discriminated against. The fact that the U.S. government has not done anything about reforming the immigration system means that these children, while U.S. citizens, do not have any other real status on the islands. The native peoples of the Northern Marianas do not want them, and in many ways have long resented the laborers who helped build the facilities Northern Marianas now have to serve the tourists. So sadly the debacle that is the U.S. immigration system is causing conflict halfway around the world in the Pacific islands chain near the Asian continent. For those who came to live and work there, this dilemma is making the Northern Mariana Islands less than a paradise.
Northern Mariana Islands: Immigrant Hell
By: Daniel Nardini
However, as the Northern Mariana Islands’ economy has declined, the foreign laborers and their families are no longer welcome. It is a shame since they helped to build the very things that the Chamorros and Carolinians now enjoy, and have helped to bring in the tourism that the islands so badly need. The governor of the islands, Benigno R. Fitial, wants to throw all of the foreign laborers out—this includes their families and children who are U.S. citizens since they were born and raised on the islands (a U.S. territory). He may get his way. Since the U.S. government, which actually rules the islands, has yet to come up with an immigration plan that would make it clear what the status of these foreign laborers and their families are. In other words, these foreign laborers have no status on the islands beyond having been welcomed in years ago. Most of them came legally. However, the Northern Mariana Islands’ government has pretty wide discretion on what to do with these people. There is already serious tension and mutual distrust between the native Chamorros and Carolinians on the one hand and the foreign laborers on the other.
The way the Chamorros and Carolinians see it, these foreign laborers were supposed to be temporary and now that the economy is bad these laborers should leave. The laborers may have seen it that way at first, but eventually with families born and raised on the islands the situation has changed. Many of them feel that they should be allowed to stay since they have been there for years, and that their children are now U.S. citizens. Even though technically the children of these foreign laborers are U.S. citizens, they are widely hated by the native Chamorros and Carolinians and are discriminated against. The fact that the U.S. government has not done anything about reforming the immigration system means that these children, while U.S. citizens, do not have any other real status on the islands. The native peoples of the Northern Marianas do not want them, and in many ways have long resented the laborers who helped build the facilities Northern Marianas now have to serve the tourists. So sadly the debacle that is the U.S. immigration system is causing conflict halfway around the world in the Pacific islands chain near the Asian continent. For those who came to live and work there, this dilemma is making the Northern Mariana Islands less than a paradise.