Comment Submitted by Ron Hodges, Saipan

Chamberocomics 133...comments to DHS The proposed transitional guest worker regulations accompanying the November 28, 2009 federal takeover of NMI labor and immigration from DHS are complete, flexible, and have address complicated issues with thorough understanding. The NMI was warned for a generation that artificially depressing wages and building a servant class would have disastrous economic effects, but instead of training young citizens to work in the private sector, we watched organized crime build so much influence in our economy that we began funding Jack Abramoff to block federalization, thereby keeping an indentured servant class instead of employing our own children. The CNMI labor and immigration has always been so corrupt and dysfunctional that rampant immigration fraud is the norm instead of the exception. The Governor’s blanket protection aims to continue the status quo for two more years by keeping the CNMI labor office open. These regulations address all of our concerns including; security, dependence on foreign labor, reducing the criminal element residing here, reducing ice and other contraband shipped through the CNMI, opening opportunity for local young people by forcing the private sector to hire US citizens, forcing out cheap investors that haven’t complied with US investor visa law, and guaranteeing that the control of the CNMI will be returned to local citizens. Governor Fitial’s blanket aims to include illegal foreign nationals owning businesses, illegal’s including the entire group of illegal recruiters that profiteered off overrunning the CNMI with alien labor for the former garment industry, and a myriad of others. This undermines the intent of the federalization legislation. Their intent is to keep low wages here, an insult to young local citizens. I would like to thank members of the US Department of Homeland Security for another well thought out set of regulations. Ron Hodges Saipan