Hawaii Guam Asks To Pause Migration From Pacific Nations During Virus Crisis
Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero wants federal officials to pause migration from three Pacific nations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The countries — Palau, the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia — have no known cases of the coronavirus as of this week. But Leon Guerrero is worried that the nations might have cases that haven’t been diagnosed yet, and doesn’t want Guam to have to pay for quarantining any migrants who might arrive.
In a letter to Vice President Mike Pence on April 6, Leon Guerrero noted that schools are closed on Guam currently and there are no job openings. She asked Pence to institute screening measures to prevent migrants from coming to Guam, and confirmed in an interview with Civil Beat Thursday that she would like migration to be paused.
“For the life of the Compacts, Guam has become home for many FAS citizens seeking to improve their futures but in times of a public health emergency, migration limits must be enforced by the U.S. government,” wrote Leon Guerrero, a Democrat.
Read more: https://www.civilbeat.org/2020/04/guam-asks-to-pause-migration-from-3-pacific-nations-during-virus-crisis/