More holes in the umbrellas

November 10, 2009

Worker advocates Boni Sagana and Rabby Syed are asking the CNMI Department of Labor to reveal the criteria that DOL has established for "overstayers" to obtain umbrella permits.

On October 29, 2009 Hirschbein and DOL "volunteer" called on all "overstayers" to request a waiver from the Division of Immigration in order to be considered for an umbrella permit.

Yesterday Director Barry Hirschbein stated that there was "no guarantee that overstayers can get the umbrella permit."

Last week the DOL started issuing waivers to workers whose names are on the "overstayers' list", but Hirschbein claims that waivers are only requests for the permits.

From the Marianas Variety:

Some overstayers said they got their waivers last week and were told to return to Labor on Monday.

Yesterday, they said they were expecting to get their umbrella permit but Labor sent them home.

Hirshbein said they cannot attend to the requested of the overstayers until they are done with the concerns of the legitimate guest workers.

He said Labor is expected to publish the names of overstayers who can avail of the umbrella permit.

But they have no date yet for the publication of the names.

Boni Sagana, a guest worker advocate, said Labor should come up with the criteria for overstayers qualified to get the umbrella permit.

Now the overstayers are being told to return to their country of origin according to advocate, Rabby Syed. Guest workers said that there is no set system for overstayers and they are requesting clarification.

The Marianas Variety reports:

Labor, he added, should clarify the eligibility of overstayers who were misinformed about the umbrella permit.

He said Labor and the Division of Immigration must disclose what will happen to the overstayers who present themselves to the authorities.

“Some of these people believe they could get umbrella permit but I was told by Labor that there will be a different ‘system’ for the overstayers,” he said.

He added that the overstayers are “totally confused as to what Labor is telling them which contradicts what Immigration is saying."

He believes that there is miscommunication among the overstayers, Labor and Immigration.

Labor and Immigration, he added, should work closely to determine what to do with the overstayers.

Some overstayers interviewed by this reporter said they are still hoping that they could stay and be given an umbrella permit.

Is this some kind of attempt to document "overstayers"? Attorney Robert Meyers has already challenged this confusing umbrella permit system.

System is a Disorganized Mess

Over 400 guest workers and nonresidents lined up yesterday for umbrella permits, some waiting in line for more than five hours. Some complained of no assistance or instruction for DOL personnel.

Some say that the umbrella permits were said to be an election ploy or were introduced as an attempt to bolster the case for an injunction against federalization. Maybe the Fitial Administration has lost interest and is focusing attention elsewhere.

Where is the Secretary of Labor? Does he even work there anymore? Is he still receiving a salary? Is Kaipat back at work? The Marianas Variety reported that there was mass confusion:

Fifteen other people interviewed by this reporter said the line was almost immobile.

Some of the people who just arrived do not know where to fall in line because no one was assisting them and there were no instructions on what they were supposed to do.

An automobile shop employee, Leandro, who refused to disclose his surname, said some of them eventually found out that they were in the line for IR’s.
“It’s a total mess,” he said. “People do not know where to go.”

He said they were not instructed where to line up and who to talk to with regards to their papers.

He said they were all hoping to process their papers before 4 p.m. but noted “that seems to be impossible” because of the number of people in line.

The Department of Labor said all its staff members were busy and could not comment.

Busy? Were they also too" busy" to wait on the four hundred people that stood outside in a line? This certainly does not seem like the organized and "better-than-the-program-in-the-states" CNMI Department of Labor that the Fitial Administration presented in documents to the District Court last week. Were they also too "busy" to have a person go outside and explain the process and the reason for the unreasonably long wait? What a total lack of respect for the people waiting in line!