GARAPAN, Saipan – Filipinos in United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) whose immigration statuses are still in limbo have asked the US for humanitarian parole so that they could remain in CNMI. Pinoys with vague immigration statuses can consider applying for a parole or parole-in-place for humanitarian consideration at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The parole will allow them to legally remain in the CNMI while securing a change of status, which includes obtaining:
the status of an immediate relative of a US citizen; a “green card" or lawful permanent residency status; a transitional worker status, and an H1B or other U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act status. USCIS is one of the component agencies of the US Department of Homeland Security, the lead agency implementing federal takeover of CNMI immigration since November 2009. Elizabeth Mendoza, who hails from Pampanga, is preparing to ask the US government for humanitarian parole, which will allow her to remain in the island of Saipan. Her son, who is now fighting for the US Army in war-torn Afghanistan, will be eligible to petition her as an “immediate relative" when he turns 21 in June next year. “My son is fighting a US war," she told GMA News Online. “Is it too much to ask to allow us to remain here on Saipan for just a few months? We worked over 20 years of our lives here and this is where we raised our children now serving the country." Federal immigration status To avoid deportation, foreigners like Mendoza need to obtain a federal immigration status or find a legitimate employer that will petition them for a transitional worker rule by November 27. An“umbrella permit," which will expire on November 27, has allowed people like Mendoza to remain in the CNMI even without a job. Mendoza came to Saipan in 1989 to work as a beautician. Her husband, also an overseas Filipino worker, came to Saipan in 1986 and also lost his job. Their son in the US Army is hoping to petition them as immediate relative of a U.S. citizen next year. Difficulty in finding a job Finding a new job is too difficult these days in the CNMI, given the economic crunch. Mendoza said her last hope is a humanitarian parole-in-place. However, Jane Mack, directing attorney of the Micronesian Legal Services Corp., said a grant of parole-in-place is “discretionary, on a case-by-case basis, and is decided on by USCIS." Micronesian Legal Services Corp. has been hosting free workshops to educate people about humanitarian parole-in-place. Other reasons Other Filipinos have different reasons for seeking a humanitarian parole-in-place. For 55-year-old Elena Whitenack, a humanitarian parole-in-place will buy her more time to change her immigration status. Originally from Pangasinan, Whitenack was brought to Saipan by her husband in 1994. He died eight years later, before he could help her secure the appropriate status. Because she was widowed by a US citizen, Whitenack can still apply for a green card, but the remaining six weeks is not enough to process her papers. She also finds it hard to raise at least $2,000 for the application. “That’s why I am going to request for humanitarian parole in place so I will have more time to come up with money and apply for green card," she said right after attending a parole-in-place workshop. Meanwhile, Norma Quichocho wants to secure a parole to save her marriage. She had previously decided not to change her immigration status to prove her love for her husband of 17 years. “My husband and I wanted to prove people wrong, [those saying] that I married him only because I’m after [a] green card or [an] improved status. But now, we’re running out of time," she said. House Resolution Delegate Gregorio Kilili Sablan, the CNMI’s first non-voting delegate to the US House of Representatives, has asked U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to grant parole to individuals covered by House Resolution 1466, or those who can stay only until Nov. 27. Sablan’s HR 1466 seeks to grant CNMI-only resident status for four groups of people: immediate relatives of U.S. citizens as of May 8, 2008 and continuing to be on the islands; CNMI permanent residents; those born in the CNMI between Jan. 1, 1974 and Jan. 9, 1978; and spouses or children, “as defined in section 101(b)(1) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(b)(1)), of an alien described in subclauses (I) or (II)." The bill has already passed the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee and now heads for action by the full U.S. House of Representatives. However, Sablan does not believe the measure will become law by November 27. He is seeking the DHS approval to let these individuals remain in the CNMI until the bill is acted on by the U.S. Congress. DHS has yet to decide on Sablan’s request. But not all are happy with HR 1466. Former Rota teacher and now Florida-based human rights activist Wendy Doromal said the legislation left out many individuals who have spent years and decades working in the CNMI but do not have U.S. citizen children. Doromal said there’s “a slim possibility that a true champion of the foreign workers will introduce legislation that would grant permanent residency" to long-term foreign workers in the CNMI. [breaker] Many of those covered by HR 1466 are Filipinos in the CNMI who have U.S. citizen children. Many of them are now jobless and having difficulty finding a job with only about a month left before the Nov. 27 deadline. They wrongfully thought that joblessness would make them eligible to be granted parole or parole-in-place so they could stay in the CNMI up to Jan. 31, 2012, and find a job. Only those with employers and with existing parole-in-place are eligible to be granted an extension of their parole until Jan. 31, 2012. The others eligible for parole-in-place include: CNMI permanent residents; immediate relatives of CNMI permanent residents; spouses and children of deceased CNMI permanent residents; and immediate relatives of FAS citizens or those from Palau, the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia's Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Yap. Despite information to the contrary, many jobless Filipinos said they are trying their luck. One of them is Adelina Mandia, 60. “But I thought if we apply for a parole, we can stay here until January to find a job. Now I know that’s not true. But I am still hoping something will happen, that we’d be allowed to stay longer," she said. - RJMD/VVP, GMA News 
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