A Chinese national has appealed a deportation order to the High Court, saying that contrary to claims by the Attorney General and Immigration, she has properly issued paperwork to stay in the RMI.
Yang Chinhua, through her attorney Chief Public Defender Russell Kun, said that there is no basis for the removal order because her immigration and labor documents are in order and comply with RMI law.
She filed the petition last week questioning the removal order issued by the Attorney General’s office and its Immigration Division in mid-October. The removal order followed Yang’s arrival on October 10 without a visa for the RMI. She was detained overnight, and then released to her employer.
Yang has been a long-term resident and worker in the RMI since first coming to RMI in 2002. She adopted a Marshallese baby when he was five months old. The child is now nine years old, living and going to school in China.
Yang is a citizen of the People’s Republic of China. She holds a valid PRC passport and has traveled between the RMI and PRC twice in the past year without incident until the situation on October 10 at Amata Kabua International.
According to documents filed with the petition to the High Court, she received a work permit from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Labor Division on October 9, 2015 that is good through January 9, 2017. On June 24 this year, Immigration issued Yang an Alien Registration card good through December 31, 2016. But when she arrived on October 10, Immigration officials were unaware of this documentation nor could they locate it in the days following her arrival.
The removal order gave Yang 14 days to voluntarily leave RMI.
Read more about this in the November 4, 2016 edition of the Marshall Islands Journal.