Where did all the Marshallese come from? (to live, military)

[howard555]

Originally Posted by aab7855

They have the right to move to the US without needing to wait for a visa or anything, and with rising tides their entire country will likely disappear in the coming decades, so more are coming.
https://mashable.com/2018/02/25/mars.../#.eIGt1Wbc5q3

This is an interesting subject about the citizens of those islands. There are articles that mention one way tickets. One man has saved $800 and the one ticket is around $1500 so he is half way.
About 1/3 of all of their population has moved here.

When a young Marshallese mother and 2 year old child arrive at the port of entry and they go through immigration what do these immigration agents think or do? Just let them go through immigration with no regard to where they are going, they have no return ticket so obviously they have no plan to go back to the islands.
Or a situation where it's a single traveler such as an 18 year old male or female.
Immigration treats them far different than people arriving from other countries that do not need a tourist visa? Many countries need no visa. Most however have return tickets with the plan to go home.

Immigration agents do not look or think curiously about a Marshallese who only has a one way ticket. And ask them questions like where are you going, where is the father of your child (if he was left behind why don't you have a round trip ticket), etc.

The other 2/3's are welcome to come here as far as I am concerned, welcome to America.

It seems some of the Marshallese travelers with no round trip ticket or money to survive or people to see, would be questioned by immigration.
"Oh you have no return ticket and only $100 in your pocket and no relatives or friends here and your plan is to make it to Arkansas and seek work. Ok, proceed through immigration."
It's that easy?

[Screenwriter70]

They can have AR, I've no plans to ever live there lol. Just don't send them to NC or out West, got enough problems with illegal aliens.

[howard555]

Originally Posted by Screenwriter70

They can have AR, I've no plans to ever live there lol. Just don't send them to NC or out West, got enough problems with illegal aliens.

They don't seem to be considered as illegal like those from Central America. They are treated differently at the port of entry by immigration.

[biscuitmom]

Originally Posted by howard555

They don't seem to be considered as illegal like those from Central America. They are treated differently at the port of entry by immigration.

Yes, because the nuclear tests we conducted left many of their islands uninhabitable, with arguably the highest radiation levels on the planet to this day. (https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/17/asia/...hnk/index.html)

Citizens of the Marshall Islands can live and work in the U.S. without visas and work permits. That's because of a 1986 law called the Compact of Free Association, or COFA.

COFA established U.S. economic aid and special rights for a trio of equatorial Pacific island nations used by the U.S. military, including for the scores of nuclear tests in the 1940s and 50s that rendered some of the Marshall Islands, like Bikini Atoll, uninhabitable.

(https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/ma...eft-for-the-us)

[LiveUrban]

Originally Posted by Screenwriter70

They can have AR, I've no plans to ever live there lol. Just don't send them to NC or out West, got enough problems with illegal aliens.

You make it sound like these people are "dirty" or lesser than you. Think long and hard about why you feel that way. Is it moral?

[2x3x29x41]

Originally Posted by Screenwriter70

They can have AR, I've no plans to ever live there lol. Just don't send them to NC or out West, got enough problems with illegal aliens.

They aren't being 'sent' anywhere.

Under the Compact of Free Association between the United States and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Marshallese people have the right to emigrate to the United States and to work here.

And that's not dependent on whether or not you like it.

Originally Posted by aab7855

They have the right to move to the US without needing to wait for a visa or anything, and with rising tides their entire country will likely disappear in the coming decades, so more are coming.

Yes.

The average elevation of the Marshall Islands is 7 feet above sea level - that will be underwater or awash within a few decades.

[howard555]

What would be the status of a child of say age 14 who comes to the USA from those islands without a parent or relative with them (and they have no relatives or friends already here) and tries to enroll in school? Some airlines do allow unaccompanied minors. Immigration would recognize their emigrant status and with some funds make it to any town USA by bus, find a place to stay and then "attempt" (successfully I assume) to enroll in school.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Screenwriter70

They can have AR, I've no plans to ever live there lol. Just don't send them to NC or out West, got enough problems with illegal aliens.

OMG where do you get some of your ideas? They are not illegals and add insult to injury, you are planning to move to CA where every other resident is an illegal or know illegals. If you are that uncomfortable with they how in the heck do you expect to live happily ever after in Ca?

[biscuitmom]

Originally Posted by howard555

What would be the status of a child of say age 14 who comes to the USA from those islands without a parent or relative with them (and they have no relatives or friends already here) and tries to enroll in school? Some airlines do allow unaccompanied minors. Immigration would recognize their emigrant status and with some funds make it to any town USA by bus, find a place to stay and then "attempt" (successfully I assume) to enroll in school.

Generally speaking, homeless youths, whether living with family or not, have special legal protection that allows them to enroll in school without initially providing any documentation. Since Marshallese under COFA are non-immigrants with the right to freely live, work, and *study* in the US, this legal protection would presumably apply to Marshallese homeless youths.

[aab7855]

Free Association is a truly interesting concept. In addition to the "stepchildren" under the US realm (Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, etc.) there are in fact fully independent countries whose citizens can do all of what we have mentioned in the previous posts...plus serve in the military no problem.