A bishop has written a letter calling on the Northern Marianas to look at immigration as something that involves real people, rather than as just a "contentious" issue.
Saipan in the Northern Marianas. Photo: Supplied
Ryan Jimenez, the bishop of the diocese of Chalan Kanoa, said people should not lose sight that immigration deals with people who have their own personal stories, rights and sentiments.
Mr Jimenez, a naturalised US citizen originally from the Philippines, added that once people lose sight of that fact, they tend to be dismissive and detached.
The call comes after the Northern Mariana Islands US Workforce Act was introduced last week on the US House and Senate floors.
The proposed bill seeks to extend the CNMI-Only Transitional Worker program beyond 2019.
It also will push the Commonwealth worker cap limit to 13,000 and set a new visa category called "legacy workers", renewable every three years.