The Superior Court of the Northern Marianas has ordered the deportation of seven Chinese tourists who are seeking refuge in the Commonwealth.
The Marianas Variety newspaper reports that the four women and three men had claimed they faced torture and persecution in China due to their affiliation with Falun Gong, a movement advocating traditional meditation exercises
The group appeared in court last week and agreed to be deported from the CNMI.
The paper notes that a deportation order is one of the prerequisites before the group can seek refugee protection.
Associate Judge David Wiseman reprimanded the group for deceiving the CNMI by entering as tourists.
He said while they may have good reasons for escaping from China they put the CNMI community in jeopardy because of their selfishness.
