(BBC) – The opposition in Barbados has told the government to prepare for a backlash over a planned amnesty for illegal aliens from Caribbean Community (Caricom) nations.
Prime Minister David Thompson, who came in to office with a controversial “Barbadians first” policy, told parliament that the amnesty will last from 1 June to 1 December.
He said the recommendation had come from a panel asked to draw up proposals to reform the government’s much-criticised approach to immigration.
Illegal immigrants who entered Barbados before 31 December, 2005 and have been living on the island for at least eight years are eligible to apply for the amnesty.
Opposition Barbados Labour Party leader Mia Mottley wondered why the offer appeared to single out nationals of Caricom countries.
She said: “This action coming on the heels of the Prime Minister’s statement in Guyana of ‘ever so welcome, wait for a call’ and the draconian way in which many Caricom immigrants have been unceremoniously removed from Barbados over the last year will undoubtedly have implications for Barbadians working and moving in the wider region.”
Mottley said the amnesty should be carried out in a humane and transparent manner and in keeping with local and regional legal obligations.
A small non-parliamentary party, the People’s Empowerment party, rejected the offer outright, calling it a complete repudiation of the committed and enlightened regionalism of the nation’s independence leader Errol Barrow.
Thompson said the amnesty will not be automatic to applicants as each case will be considered individually on merit.
Among the conditions: Applicants must be currently employed and provide evidence of employment and pass a security background check.
Applicants with three or more dependents will be considered, but will not automatically qualify for status.
The spouse or child of an employed applicant residing in Barbados with applicants is eligible to apply for amnesty. Thompson said current levels of immigration to Barbados were unacceptably high and posed economic and social challenges to the island.
“I must make it clear that after the qualifying period has expired, those Caricom nationals without lawful permission to remain in the island will be removed,” Thompson said.
The Prime Minister acknowledged that although many non-nationals were making a contribution to the island’s development, “the problem of illegal immigration can no longer be ignored”.
Thompson insisted his government was committed to adhering to agreements on migration within Caricom, in particular on the employment of qualifying skilled nationals.
