AG Urges Caution in Raising Quota Too High

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Attorney General Talauega Eleasalo Ale says the recommended quota of 100 foreigners to be granted permanent resident status each year is based on the average of applications received annually.

At present only 50 permanent resident applications are approved each year and that number is set by law.

Talauega testified in both the House and Senate yesterday concerning an administration bill to double the quota.

He said the average number of applications received is 75.

While several senators suggested raising it to 200 and over, the AG recommended a cautious approach given  the territory’s limited resources.

He said permanent residents can sponsor their children and spouses and if you had one permanent resident bringing in his or her spouse and four children, it would lead to a population problem,

The normally soft spoken Senator Tuiasina Esera, who’s a member of the Immigration Board spoke with passion about the need to control Asian immigrants.

He said the scene in every village is there’ll be  four homes and then an Asian store, four homes and Asian owned store.

He also said the land has  been taken over by Asians. 

He said, Ïn my district the hillsides are covered with Asian owned farms.”

Tuiasina also said that there are many cases where Asians living here bring in their relatives who are US citizens in the mainland and Guam to set up businesses, then they get their relatives from home to work in their ventures.

He said usually only one Samoan will be working in the business but the rest are Asians from the shelve stockers to the cashiers , all employees are Asians, with maybe one Samoan sweeping the floor.

Tuiasina told the AG his office must be alert and be wary of the influx of Asians because “they are taking over the territory and our people will be left with naught.”

At the same hearing Senator Magalei Logovii asked the AG to consider reducing the $40, 30-day permit for visitors from Samoa.

He said Samoa only charges $10 for their entry permit and he felt the $40 fee Immigration here charges is too high.

Magalei said he only discovered the cost of a local permit when he went to Immigration to get a permit for a couple from Samoa.

He said while he and his colleagues can afford the visitor permit fee, if a cannery employee from Samoa had to get a permit for their spouse or children to come for a short visit, their whole paycheck would be spent on their permits.

He felt that American Samoa’s visitor permit fee was unreasonable and urged the AG to consider reducing it.

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