Amid stinging criticism of its new immigration policy, Barbados is prepared to consider the readmission of persons who have overstayed their time through a protocol or memorandum of understanding but will not swerve from its current policy to regularize undocumented Caricom nationals.
Prime Minister David Thompson, who arrived in Guyana yesterday for the 30th Meeting of Caricom Heads of Government that starts today, hosted a press conference, aimed at lending perspective to his recently announced immigration policy which has stirred feverish debate across the region.
Thompson said he did not believe the issue would cloud discussions at today’s meeting, adding that he did not think any of the heads were that “petty” that a simple issue could affect the entire process. “There is not that level of immaturity.”
Thompson told reporters that he intends to use the opportunity of his presence in Georgetown to discuss with President Bharrat Jagdeo, ways in which they could work together to better manage the migration situation.
He said he was also prepared to look carefully at a guest worker programme in areas where the labour market may justify it in future.
“In addition, I think it would be useful to establish a formal mechanism for regular consultation and information exchange between our Chief Immigration Officers and senior personnel,” he told reporters gathered at the conference room of Cara Lodge, in Quamina Street.
Thompson said he would also be reiterating to Jagdeo his hope that Guyana will give favourable consideration to setting up a High Commission in Bridgetown staffed with the appropriate number of professionals to handle the increasing consular needs of the Guyanese population in Barbados.
Thompson said his government has taken interim action to regularize undocumented individuals in Barbados in the absence of a consensus Caricom decision to move to full freedom of movement.
The policy also comes again the backdrop of the absence of a community policy on managed migration.
Those Caricom nationals who entered Barbados before December 31, 2005 and have been residing there without appropriate documentation for eight or more years will be eligible for consideration for regularization. However they must meet stipulated conditions, which include a full criminal background check. Those who fall outside this eight-year span and who have overstayed their time will be asked to leave, Thompson said, adding that those who do not leave voluntarily will be deported. He added that managed migration for his country has been a long-standing policy of his Democratic Labour Party (DLP).
Since the announcement of the policy, reports had surfaced about inhumane treatment by immigration officers; the homes of Guyanese being raided in the wee hours and belongings taken away and individuals not found with the necessary documentation being escorted to the airport and ordered to leave.
But Thompson yesterday said he had no doubt that the relevant authorities were affording those individuals their full rights. “I have every confidence that the immigration and law enforcement authorities of Barbados are acting and will act in strict conformity with the laws of Barbados and with full respect for the rights and dignity of the individual,” he said.
He added that his government did not condone the abuse of power or inappropriate behaviour on the part of its public officials and if evidence was produced that any of those empowered to take action have been excessive in carrying out of their duties they will be disciplined appropriately.
In this regard Thompson gave a commitment to investigate all complaints and a review panel to do this is to be set up shortly.
This newspaper had interviewed two Guyanese who were undocumented in Barbados and were sent home. They recounted early morning raids, barely enough time to scramble belongings and a trip to the airport and a plane ride home.
When initial reports surfaced President Jagdeo had said that he would confront his counterpart with his concerns. Jagdeo then said he had spoken with Thompson on the matter and Thompson said he had no knowledge of any of the allegation but that he would investigate any coming to his attention.
Media reports out of Barbados this week quoted Thompson as acknowledging the wee-hours raids. Defending the times at which raids are carried out, he said that if the immigration department were to carry out operations on illegal migrants they could only do so when they assumed they would be at home. “I am not saying that some of these tactics are not harsh, but this happens all around,” Thompson said.
Commenting on media reports, he said there were persons who opened the newspapers to look for sensational stories as to who was “rounded up like cattle and sent back. None of these things have happened.
“We have asked for information. We have asked for documented reports. How would it be in Barbados’s interest to adopt such a policy? It can’t be.”
Thompson said his country was grateful for the work done in Barbados by migrant workers. He said his government has seen some practices of exploitation being developed that it was not happy about.
He said other issues have also emerged which have given his administration cause for concern and to find mechanisms to have temperate discussions on the situation.
Statistics
Declining to respond to allegations of ill treatment during raids on the homes of undocumented individuals, Thompson challenged a reporter to, “bring me evidence and I will respond.
“When something negative happens to someone they always see everything that flows from it as negative.”
Thompson had told the Barbados media last week that only four Guyanese had since been deported for the month of June. He said his government has tried to avoid stamping passports “deported” because it understood the consequences of a deportation order and the implication for those persons trying to return there.
On Monday, Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett told Stabroek News that the deportation numbers compiled by local immigration authorities had shown that 53 Guyanese were deported from Barbados since May.
Thompson said yesterday that many persons have been asked to leave voluntarily and it was in their interest to do so. With regard to the disparity in figures, he said this may have been due to persons who returned here having been asked to leave being classified as deportees. He added that sometimes some undocumented persons are told to put their houses in order but many of them remain undocumented.
However, he stated that even if the overall numbers, as a percentage of those persons who move between the two countries were “miniscule” and not worth an argument.
Looking at the statistics over the past few years, Thompson said that in 2005, 172,700 Caricom nationals landed in Barbados. There were 191,327 in 2006 and 170,670 in 2008. More than 70% of these were from Guyana, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago. In 2005, 572 Caricom nationals were refused entry and 1,165 in 2008. In 2006, 209 were deported and in 2008, 235; three-quarters of the deportees were Guyanese and Jamaicans.
Meanwhile, the prime minister said, between 2000 and 2008 more than 1,000 skilled Caricom nationals were legally admitted to Barbados and over 40% of these were Guyanese; 20% Trinidadians and 20% Jamaicans.
With regard to work permits, he said 5,381 were issued in 2006; 6,730 in 2007 and 5,608 in 2008. Almost 90% of the 2008 work permits went to Guyanese, he said.
In addition, of 1,717 student visas issued to Caricom nationals in 2008, 721 went to Guyanese.
He said that what was important was that in every instance, persons were treated fairly and to ensure that this happens in future, they could apply to a tribunal which would look at the circumstances and advise government accordingly.
Ludicrous
Meanwhile in response to questions, Thompson said it was ludicrous for anyone to suggest that the policy was discriminatory.
“This hysteria that has arisen out of offering an amnesty doesn’t make sense,” he said. There is no amnesty offered to American citizens… It is offered only to Caricom nationals so it means, regrettably, Cubans, Arubans, they are not offered the amnesty.”
To suggestions that the policy targets a specific set of Guyanese, Thompson said “total nonsense.
“You won’t hear that in Barbados but you would hear that elsewhere, where ethnic issues play a role in their economic, social and political development. I have never heard it in Barbados.”
He said while there were points of difference between Guyanese in Barbados of East Indian descent and other Guyanese, he felt prominent writers have tended to give the policy an ethnic flavour when none exists.
“But they are not going to import that into Barbados. I warned them. They are not going to bring that into Barbados. We have not had that history and we will not allow them to do it in Barbados. If they want to do that they should do that where they are accustomed to do that but not in Barbados,” he said.
He denied reports that a plane-load of Guyanese was sent back from Barbados many years ago, stating, “that has never happened. I refuse any such outrageous claim. It has never happened.”
Meanwhile, Thompson anticipates that those persons who qualify for the amnesty will come forward. He committed to the setting up of a dedicated programme to have the status of such persons regularised. He admitted that work permit extensions were taking longer than usual but said that was being addressed.
He stressed that Caricom is his island’s focus saying that Barbados will work to build the institution.
The issue of leaders “cherry-picking” items from the CSME which would be of immediate benefit to them has been raised and Thompson made it clear that his country was not cherry-picking.
“We met all our commitments under CSME. Therefore no one can accuse us of cherry-picking,” he said.
He said he felt it was worth pointing out that a recent CSME audit showed that Barbados was in full compliance with its obligations and all the identified restrictions have been removed and legislation amended where necessary.
He pointed out that to date only Barbados and Trinidad had national accreditation councils in place specifically for the purpose of establishing equivalency or according accreditation to degrees, diplomas, certificates and other evidence of relevant qualifications.
He said his country is criticized for doing the most rigorous checks in this regard but many false documents are floating around the region.
Meanwhile, two other Caricom heads have criticised Barbados’s policy with St Lucia’s Prime Minister Stephenson King saying he wants fellow Caricom leaders to take urgent action to facilitate the free movement of people throughout the region.
St Vincent’s Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves had blasted Barbadian authorities over the treatment some of his nationals had received in Bridgetown, adding that across Caricom some nationals — including those from his country, Guyana and Jamaica — have been targeted unfairly.
Thompson also reiterated Barbados’ commitment to the region. “I wish on this occasion to reiterate my personal and my government’s unswerving commitment to the tenets and ideals of the various treaties in Caricom to which we are signatory. Barbados’ record of support for and contributions to the building of our regional community are unparalleled.
Harking back to the 1989 Caricom meeting in Grand Anse, Grenads, Thompson referred to the late Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley reminding his audience that crisis, stagnation and economic recession had been the permanent bedfellows of Caricom since its inception, engendering as a consequence ”the long period of near-retreat from strategic purpose”.
Noting that 2009 has again found the region facing economic convulsions, Thompson said “These circumstances only reinforce my conviction that regional integration is the last best hope for the Caribbean. Going it alone or fragmenting into unworkable reconfigurations of the regional project cannot be an enduring solution”. The latter appeared to be a reference to a proposed alliance between the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States and Trinidad and Tobago.
