Judge Hears First Immigration Cases in Saipan
Immigration Judge J. Daniel Dowell conducted the first federal immigration hearings in Saipan this week; previously Saipan and other U.S. trust territories in the Pacific were able to administer their own immigration policy. The scandal surrounding convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his illegal activities while lobbying for the island, along with numerous human rights abuses of workers there, led Congress to impose U.S. immigration law on Saipan.