by Jolene Toves

Guam - $8 million to $10 million. That is the estimated amount the government can save a year by deporting citizens who are on island under the Compacts of Free Association Act once they have committed a crime of moral turpitude.

While deportation of criminal offenders has been authorized under the COFA Act it has never been acted upon. Today's roundtable discussion was aimed at finding out why that is, and what exactly constitutes a deportable crime and why other offenses do not fall under that category. Senior policy advisor Arthur Clark said, "I am certainly a little bit shocked that aggravated assault with a deadly weapon is not a deportable crime under the definition so we need to do something to fix the definitions."

While there were concerns about the standards of a deportable crime, it was brought to attention that the federal government sets those standards, not Guam. "What would make it easier it is if we amend our assault statutes to include follow moral penal code and we go intentional knowing or recklessly cause bodily injury or serious bodily injury and so forth then try to charge all three - that would be a step in the right direction 550124," he said.