Senator Tuaolo Fruean wants answers from the Attorney General’s Office and Immigration about the apparent lack of enforcement of immigration laws.
Today in the Senate, the Pago Pago senator said nearly every day one reads in the newspaper about offenders being sentenced for crimes, and it turns out they are overstayers,
Some of the defendants come on 14 day permits and when they do crime, its discovered that they’ve been here for over a year.
Tuaolo said it seems that the court is enforcing the law but what is the executive branch doing?
He said the territory has an influx of Chinese, Filipinos and other foreigners.
Then he told his colleagues, “Look at what happened in the last year in terms of diseases…we now have meningococcal, there’s also new ants, and a chicken disease”.
KHJ News has reported on suspected fowl cholera in Samoa, killing several chickens but there has been no report of such a disease in the territory.
The Pago Pago senator said, “We should be very careful about letting foreigners in because they can bring these things in.
He remarked that the court may venture to ask, what is the Fono doing about overstayers?
Tuaolo called on the chairman of the Legal Affairs Committee, Senator Tuiagamoa Tavai to bring in the Immigration and AG’s Office to explain why this is happening.
Senate President Pro Tem Nuanuaolefagaiga Saoluaga Nua agreed with Tuaolo’s concerns and said it was a grave matter reading every day in the newspaper about crimes being committed mainly by overstayers.
Committee Chairman Tuiagamoa Tavai has scheduled a hearing with Attorney General Talauega Eleasalo Ale and Chief Immigration Officer Peseta Dennis Lutu for 8:30 next Wednesday morning to discuss the matter.
