Deputy AG Supports Doing Away with CIs

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Deputy Attorney General Mitzie Jessop-Ta’ase supports doing away with American Samoa certificates of identity and for US nationals to obtain passports for travel purposes.

At a hearing by the House Legal Affairs Committee today on acceptable forms of identification and travel documents, Ituau
Faipule, Vaiaitu Mulinu’u Maluia asked Taase if she thinks the use of passports in lieu of Certificates of identity should be mandated.

The deputy AG said this was up to the House Representatives as they are the ones vested with law making duties.

Taase said in the past the AG’s Office used to accept various forms of identification including an American Samoa voter ID from the Election Office.

But because of problems they’ve encountered such as a fraudulent ID case, they no longer accept a voter ID for traveling purposes.

Ta’ase said a person from American Samoa using a fake ID was discovered while traveling off island and their case is now handled by the Federal Bureau of Investigations while the individual who assisted the individual obtain the fake ID has been prosecuted.

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Committee chair, Rep. Vui Florence Saulo said it costs more to get a CI which is good for a few months, than it costs a passport.
She wishes American Samoans would calculate the difference and realize its better to get a passport.

She asked why the AG’s Office hasn’t made it mandatory for people to use passports instead of CIs. ‘

Ta’ase explained that the American Samoa CI was initiated by the federal government for emergency travel and American Samoa is the only territory that’s still using CIs .

The Deputy AG told committee members that the AG’s Office will support legislation to mandate the use of passports and eliminate CIs.

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