Fitial: ‘I will never support federalization’

Fitial: ‘I will never support federalization’

Monday, 23 November 2009 00:00 By Gemma Q. Casas - Reporter

GOVERNOR Benigno R. Fitial hopes the federal judge handling the lawsuit he filed against the federalization law will rule in the CNMI’s favor.

Judge Paul Friedman of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is scheduled to hear oral arguments on Nov. 23, which is Tuesday local time.

But Rep. Tina Sablan described the lawsuit as “wasteful.”

“I am hopeful that Judge Friedman will soon dismiss the governor’s wasteful lawsuit against the federal government, and that the CNMI will finally begin to work cooperatively with the federal government to ensure a transition to federal immigration control that is as smooth as possible,” she said in an e-mail.

But the governor believes that federalization will be fatal for the local economy.

“I will never support federalization,” he said.

This month, his administration began issuing umbrella permits to thousands of guest workers.

The governor said this should protect the workers from being uprooted from the commonwealth once the U.S. takes over local immigration.