Immigration Board chair casts doubts on continued usefulness of the TALOFAPass websystem

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The ASG’s TALOFAPass websystem has created a lot of issues for the Immigration Office and its Board of Directors. This is according to Fanene Edda Wyberski, the chair of the Immigration Board in an interview with Samoa News.

“What we know about TALOFAPass’s initial mandate is, it was to protect our borders by monitoring the COVID situation whereby the traveling public is to submit their vaccination cards, to enter American Samoa.

 “However it’s apparent that it is clashing with the Immigration laws that we are set to protect and enforce,” said Fanene. The ASG TALOFAPass websystem screens people entering American Samoa.

Director of the American Samoa Medicaid Office, Sandra King Young responded to Samoa News queries about the concerns raised by chair of the Immigration Board and referred queries to Attorney General, Fainu'ulei Falefatu Ala'ilima-Utu, which Samoa News has done.

 “I’m not the right person to direct these questions to,” she said and referred queries to the AG.

“The Attorney General oversees the immigration policies on the TALOFAPass system.

 “The Department of Legal Affairs which houses the Immigration Office does all the reviews and approvals on the system and they determine the policies and requirements for immigration on the TALOFAPass system. The ASG personnel doing the immigration approvals on the system are part of the Immigration Office as far as I know,” said King Young.

According to Fanene there are people in the territory that came on the TALOFAPass now applying to work here and yet they came in on a visitor’s permit.

“This is what we have been dealing since the TALOFAPass has been enforced and it is overlapping onto Immigration laws,” said the chairman.

Another issue Fanene pointed out is that people who had their Immigration ID expire cannot enter American Samoa to come and renew their ID.

“And TALOFAPass has been allowing people to come in and their ID have expired since way back when. And yes while they obtain a visitor permit to enter, they cannot use it to enter to renew their identification.

“Under public law 34-2 a visitor’s permit does not allow anyone to apply for residency, it’s only valid for 30 days and they must return to their Country of Origin. Although we welcome visitors to our shores, but we have Immigration laws and processes we need to protect,” said Fanene.

Adding that there are Immigration laws that permit the entrance of any foreign person to enter American Samoa, whether it is to live, work or to visit.

“There’s already [a system] to protect the process, the Immigration is there to protect the Immigration process, if they understand the process, there are laws that everyone has to abide by for people entering American Samoa through these difference processes.

“There is a visitor permit, people coming in under quota and special provisions for businesses to bring in people to work.

“These processes have to go through an application process overseen by the Immigration Office and the board.

“Once someone sets foot in American Samoa, they are protected under the law whether they are legal or illegal, but there are laws that protect them.”

She said since COVID and the restrictions and coming out of the lockdown the Immigration Board has been trying to accommodate people that have been stuck but they do it in accordance to the law.

 “And because of the COVID, the Board have been very lenient as the foreign residents that were stuck overseas for a long period of time, with expired identification and we have been helping them legalize their ID.

 “Now that time has concluded but we’re back to normal operations but there is a slight confusion on the TALOFAPass and the role of Immigration,” said Fanene.

According to the chair of the Board, there are concerns that were brought to their attention that on the TALOFAPass / government website, there is a slot there for permits.

“And why is this even on the websystem, the entry permit is for Immigration not any other government entity or agency, but it’s confusing,” said Fanene.

She said there is also evidence of people flying in to renew their ID, yet they don’t live in American Samoa and Fanene blames the TALOFAPass for this.

“They cannot do that, you have to be a resident of American Samoa to hold that ID,” said Fanene. The chair who spoke on behalf of the Immigration Board also expressed concerns on the “information of our people” submit on the TALOFAPass.

However King Young said the TALOFAPass is secure. “The TALOFAPass is a highly secure HIPAA compliant cloud platform. It is more secure than having a physical server.”

Adding the current technology trends are that federal and state governments are transitioning to cloud technology for data security and storage.

“Perhaps it would be helpful for the chairwoman and the Immigration Board to contact the Governor's Technology Office and DataHouse for a briefing on the security of TALOFAPass,” said King Young.

Fanene also suggested having the Immigration office oversee the TALOFAPass.

In early August, several online petitions were launched by frustrated and disappointed residents calling for the elimination and dismantling of TALOFAPass, that launched in the latter part of 2021, as American Samoa prepared to resume commercial flights between Pago Pago and Honolulu.

The online petitions come amid growing concerns and complaints from travelers, future travelers as well as their family members over the need to continue using this ASG Safe Travel portal for American Samoa. This follows problems with registration and confirmed passengers trying to get the final approval code to board a flight to Pago Pago.

There have also been questions about the need for this system any longer — for which ASG allocated some $8 million funded with federal American Rescue Plan Act money — what with the COVID-19 virus already circulating in American Samoa and travelers no longer required to pre-test for the coronavirus prior to entering the territory.

Last month, Faipule Lua’itaua Gene Pan said he believed that it was about time to end use of the TALOFAPass web system before it brings more frustration and pain to our people.

During the House Session, Lua’itaua raised many issues pertaining to the future of the territory. He spoke about the effect of rising seas in the eastern district and the high cost of living. He also spoke about the problem people are facing when they travel off island due to the TALOFAPass web system.

Lua’itaua told members of the House that the reason behind the establishment of the TALOFAPass was good when ASG wanted to monitor travelers entering the territory during the time of the pandemic.

 “Today, TALOFAPass is a headache and it causes a lot of stress and pain to our people and it’s about time to end the TALOFAPass web system,” Lua’itaua said.