Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero asked the federal government to enforce migration limits for Freely Associated States citizens.

The governor's April 6 letter to Vice President Mike Pence COVID-19 Task Force requested guidance for the Departments of State, Homeland Security and Interior on using their authority to implement screening measures on islanders arriving to Guam.

Under the Compacts of Free Association, FAS citizens can migrate, visa-free from their home country to the U.S. for education or employment purposes. FAS citizens include those from the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau. However, non-essential businesses and schools are closed on under the governor's Emergency Executive Order.

“The two reasons for the compact’s free migration provisions currently do not exist on Guam, therefore the reasons for FAS citizens to travel here at this time are diminished," she said.

While that measure was the governor's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the governor, did have a problem with the FAS's response. The FAS implemented travel policies that allow migration to the U.S. but bar citizens from returning to their country.

“We cannot use limited resources to quarantine FAS citizens who become stranded on Guam because they are not able to return to their country, nor can we quarantine those FAS citizens who are allowed to leave their country utilizing the migration provisions of the compacts,” the governor said.

FSM Consul General Teresa Filepin says she was contacted by Adelup earlier this month when the governor sent the letter. Filepin along with the FSM president’s office received a copy of the letter.

Filepin said the last flight on April 14 included about 30 FSM citizens who were returning residents to Guam. At that time, GovGuam had already declared all arrivals be subjected to a 14-day quarantine, in which the passengers did.

"The FSM National government has been in frequent communication with its brothers and sisters in Guam and is aware of the Government's concerns," she said. "The FSM has banned all incoming and outgoing travel of its citizens, with limited exceptions such as the those returning to their permanent residence. All FSM citizens wishing to travel outbound must acquire consent from the FSM COVID-19 task force and applicable State task force."

We should add, there have not been any confirmed COVID-19 cases in Palau, the FSM or the Marshall Islands.