The American Samoa governor's chief counsel says allowing undocumented foreigners to become legal citizens will help the administration serve its people more effectively.
The governor Lolo Matalasi Moliga is seeking Fono approval to increase the number of foreigners allowed to reside in the territory and make this group legal through an amnesty programme.
He says an estimated 3,000 illegal foreigners are living in the territory.
The governor's chief counsel Steve Watson, who is a member of the amnesty committee, says the invitation for undocumented foreigners to come forward is to legalise their presence in the territory.
"It's to make them count so that we can do our jobs better in government with respect to planning for the future, with respect to recognising what is our population that we're having to serve and we want to serve."
Steve Watson.
