by Krystal Paco

Guam - It was early in the new year when Vice Speaker B.J. Cruz met with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations Office in San Francisco over deportation laws under the Compacts of Free Association law.

As we reported, the feds had indicated they were unaware of laws they are supposed to enforce. Cruz has since made efforts to send more information to ICE along with drawing support from the administration. The governor's chief policy advisor Arthur Clark said, "We've met and we've collaborated on this issue and the Governor fully intends to write a letter and a full endorsement of the initiative. We're trying to refined the message that we want to send across - it seems to me as we discussed this issue with Vice Speaker Cruz and now I want to meet with ICE to get a better understanding of the legal impacts here."

Under COFA, habitual residents are subject to removal if they have not been self-supporting for more than 60 days, have fraudulently received unauthorized public benefits or already subject to remove under immigration laws.