The American Samoa Governor Togiola Tulafono is seeking an emergency U.S. visa waiver for foreign
nationals traveling from Pago Pago to Hawaii for a medical emergency.
Togiola said in a statement that the territory is very concerned over the Department of Homeland Security's
border control procedures for emergency case from American Samoa.
He cited the case of 14-day old Michael Futi, who travelled with his mother to Honolulu but died while locked up in a customs office at Honolulu International Airport.
Michael's mother is a citizen of Samoa while Michael is a US national born in American Samoa.
The travelling party was held up reportedly over the mother's travel documents.
Togiola says the death of the infant should never have occurred.
____________________________________________________________________________________
