OPEN LETTER TO:
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PETE HEGSETH,
USINDOPACOM,
JOINT REGION MARIANAS,
NAVFAC MARIANAS,
AND THE COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATION TO COMBAT THE CCP’S MALIGN INFLUENCE
RE: The Strategic Imperative for DoD Oversight, Eminent Domain Enforcement, and Federal Investigations into Rampant Corruption in the CNMI
I. Introduction
The strategic importance of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) within the U.S. Indo-Pacific defense framework cannot be overstated. As geopolitical tensions heighten and the threat of malign influence from foreign adversaries—particularly the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)—continues to grow, it is imperative that the United States government act decisively to ensure national security interests are protected across all territories, including the CNMI.
This letter is a call to action for the Secretary of Defense, Mr. Pete Hegseth, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), Joint Region Marianas, NAVFAC Marianas, and the Committee on Legislation to Combat the CCP’s Malign Influence to recognize and exercise full federal authority to combat corruption, prevent national security compromise, and reaffirm American sovereignty in the region.
Furthermore, it is time for the Trump #AmericaFirst agenda and the incoming Congress to re-evaluate the CNMI’s continued exclusion from the full constitutional protections afforded by the 5th, and 14th Amendments. The CNMI's existing legal framework fosters unchecked corruption, enables systemic fraud, and weakens the rule of law by shielding bad actors from accountability. In addition, the CNMI's Block Grant designation must be stripped to allow for the full application of federal oversight mechanisms, performance-based funding, and enforcement of U.S. regulations regarding transparency and accountability.
II. Strategic National Security Interests and Eminent Domain
Under the constitutional power of eminent domain and its national defense prerogatives, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) holds the authority to acquire and protect land deemed essential to U.S. strategic objectives. The Mariana Islands’ geographic proximity to Taiwan, the South China Sea, and Pacific routes vital to U.S. military and economic operations elevates their importance.
The DoD’s legal right to exercise eminent domain in U.S. territories, including the CNMI, stems from the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution and has been reaffirmed in multiple federal precedents. This authority is also complemented by national defense statutes, such as the Military Construction Authorization Acts, which authorize land use for defense installations and critical infrastructure.
As federal investigations and public reports have shown, CNMI landowners, politicians, and foreign-affiliated developers have obstructed vital land access for military purposes in pursuit of personal enrichment. In recent years, congressional reports and watchdog media—such as Stars and Stripes, ProPublica, and local CNMI investigative outlets—have exposed real estate fraud, misappropriated federal funds, and an increasing trend of land speculation tied to foreign entities operating under the guise of tourism and casino development.
This raises a critical national security question: how long will federal agencies tolerate obstruction and foreign encroachment on U.S. strategic defense land before invoking the full power of eminent domain?
III. The SHIELD Act and Congressional Mandates
The proposed SHIELD Act (H.R. 708) specifically targets malign foreign influence in the United States, with provisions that empower federal agencies to monitor and counter CCP-linked operations that compromise American institutions, including infrastructure in territories such as the CNMI.
The CNMI has emerged as a loophole in this mandate. Foreign adversaries have capitalized on weak local governance, a judiciary compromised by family ties and corruption, and the territory’s unique "commonwealth" status, which allows for inconsistent application of federal oversight.
The SHIELD Act’s mission must be extended in full force to U.S. territories.
This includes immediate investigations into foreign-backed developments in Saipan, Tinian, and Rota; mandatory vetting of land deals; and the automatic freezing of federal funds linked to compromised entities or individuals.
The Committee on Legislation to Combat the CCP’s Malign Influence must ask: why has the CNMI not yet been declared a hotbed of foreign interference? Where are the federal prosecutions? Why has the U.S. judiciary failed to hold the CNMI’s elite accountable for their role in aiding adversarial influence and misusing federal grants?
IV. Reaffirming Sovereignty and Constitutional Protections
It is time for the federal government to reassert its jurisdiction and values across all American territory. The CNMI cannot continue to exist in a constitutional gray zone where the Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments are ignored, and federal statutes are treated as optional guidelines.
This legal limbo directly contradicts the very mission of national security. The Trump Administration and its allies in Congress must reintroduce legislation to fully incorporate the CNMI into the U.S. Constitution’s protective reach and eliminate legal doctrines—such as the Insular Cases—that enable second-class governance.
The absence of federal prosecution against CNMI officials who have repeatedly stolen public money, obstructed DoD land efforts, and sold influence to foreign entities is indefensible. The U.S. must act, not only for security but also for justice.
V. The Block Grant Problem
The CNMI’s continued receipt of massive federal funding through unrestricted block grants—without performance-based auditing or strict compliance guidelines—has fostered decades of financial abuse. This funding model enables local elites to siphon federal dollars with impunity.
Multiple reports by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Department of the Interior’s Office of Inspector General, and independent audits have shown tens of millions of dollars either unaccounted for, mismanaged, or fraudulently spent in the CNMI. Public housing, Medicaid, education grants, disaster recovery funds, and even DoD subcontracting programs have all been named in reports from 2006 through 2023.
The solution is simple: revoke the CNMI’s Block Grant status and replace it with program-specific funding tied to clear benchmarks, audits, and federal oversight.
Local agencies must be required to comply with the same regulations as any U.S. state or federal contractor.
VI. Conclusion: A Call to Federal Action and Constitutional Enforcement
For the defense of the nation and the rule of law, we urge Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, INDOPACOM, NAVFAC Marianas, and the Congressional Committee on Combating CCP Influence to initiate:
1. A full review of all land holdings in the CNMI that obstruct national security objectives.
2. The use of eminent domain where local resistance, corruption, or foreign affiliation interferes with DoD operations.
3. A reexamination of the CNMI’s political and legal structure to bring it fully under the Constitution—particularly the 5th, and 14th Amendments.
4. An end to the CNMI’s Block Grant status and an overhaul of its federal funding model.
5. Immediate DOJ and FBI-led investigations into the CNMI judiciary, elected officials, and foreign development deals.
The time has come for an #AmericaFirst agenda to extend beyond the mainland and encompass every inch of American soil—including the Pacific Islands where silence has enabled betrayal.
We stand ready to provide supporting documents, whistleblower testimony, and audit records upon request.
For justice, security, and the future of American sovereignty.
Foreign Real Estate Control and CCP Proxies in the CNMI
Documented investigations and public records have demonstrated a troubling pattern: shell companies and CCP-linked developers have targeted CNMI lands for speculative casino developments, shadow infrastructure, and data control hubs. These actors exploit lax territorial oversight, court corruption, and economic desperation to bypass federal vetting protocols.
Through public-private partnerships, bribery, and influence over local legislators, these developers have successfully sidelined U.S. military land access requests, delayed federal facility upgrades, and in some cases, co-opted strategic waterfront properties adjacent to DoD land.
This is not simply mismanagement — it is textbook subversion.
Justification for Immediate DoD Action
Given the convergence of:
• unchecked corruption in CNMI’s executive and judicial branches;
• real estate and political manipulation by CCP-linked actors;
• stalled federal investigations due to territorial non-cooperation;
• and the immediate geostrategic importance of the region—
the Department of Defense must move beyond diplomatic pressure and toward lawful seizure of critical land and infrastructure via eminent domain.
We recommend:
1. Deployment of a Joint DoD-Congressional Investigative Task Force to catalog all foreign-held lands and assets within 50 miles of defense facilities in the CNMI.
2. Immediate pause and federal review of all CNMI land leases and casino developments involving foreign nationals.
3. Assertion of eminent domain where CCP-tied holdings directly threaten base expansion, digital security, or strategic readiness.
4. Direct coordination with the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and Homeland Security to declare CNMI a special national security interest zone under wartime readiness protocols.
***Please, Review Some of our Other Articles:
(2) https://www.cnmiga.org/post/cnmi-delegate-elect-s-platform-under-scrutiny-an-america-first-analysis
Conclusion
This letter is a call to action, not a cry for symbolic oversight. The CNMI is at risk of becoming the weakest link in the Indo-Pacific security chain — not due to geography, but due to negligence, corruption, and infiltration. We urge the DoD, Congress, and strategic regional commands to exercise their full constitutional, statutory, and moral authority to protect this critical territory from collapse — before it is too late.
Respectfully Submitted,
Zaji Zajradhara aka: PERSONA NON GRATA
Authors’ Profile
Zaji "Persona Non Grata" Zajradhara: A Voice for the Voiceless
Zaji "Persona Non Grata" Zajradhara isn't just an author; he's a force of nature. A staunch advocate for American workers and Indigenous rights in the CNMI, Zaji's life reads like a gritty urban novel, filled with struggle, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to justice. Labeled "persona non grata" by the CNMI government for his relentless pursuit of truth and his outspoken criticism of corruption, Zaji has become a symbol of resistance against those who seek to exploit the islands and its people. As an unemployed Afro-American father, he knows firsthand the sting of the CNMI's dysfunctional labor market, its rigged political system, and the exploitation of vulnerable communities. His experiences fuel his activism, driving him to file numerous legal claims against companies for violating labor laws and discriminating against American workers. Zaji's voice, though silenced by the establishment, resonates through his writing, exposing the harsh realities faced by those on the margins. But Zaji's compassion extends far beyond the shores of the CNMI. As Program Director of CNMIGA.org, a non-profit dedicated to providing humanitarian assistance in Myanmar, he leads a team committed to delivering essential support and resources to communities in need. Zaji's story is a testament to the power of one person to make a difference. He is a writer, an activist, a humanitarian – a true urban warrior fighting for a more just and equitable world.
