Dear Editor:
I have been following the news reports about the deportation of Guyanese and other Caribbean nationals from Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. While I accept that these and any other countries have the right to manage their immigration policies in the best interest of their people, I find it quite interesting that such immigration policies are being pursued against Caribbean nationals resident in Caribbean countries while we in the Caribbean diaspora are lobbying the US for comprehensive immigration reform which seeks a “kinder, gentler” approach to dealing with the issue of deportation.
Just last week I was part of a group of Caribbean Americans participating in a White House briefing organized by the Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS) on a range of issues affecting the Caribbean region and the Caribbean diaspora, including immigration reform and the issue of deportation. The White House team included Valerie Jarret, Senior Adviser and Assistant to the President on intergovernmental affairs and public engagement. It was a closed briefing so I cannot divulge the details of the discussions, other than to say we got a sympathetic ear and there seemed to be recognition that the deportation policy needed to be revisited.
The issue of immigration reform was also raised during briefings on Capitol Hill last week and indeed one member of Congress pointed to the need for us to get our act together in a veiled reference to what is currently taking place in Barbados.
My simple question is, how are we to successfully seek better treatment of our Caribbean (including Trinis and Bajans) undocumented residents in America if in fact what is happening in our region is just as bad or worse than that which we are seeking to correct in the US?
Sir Shridath is right. We forget our oneness at our peril.
It was also heartening to see Professor Compton Bourne address the issue. I hope the Barbados government doesn’t accuse him of meddling in the internal affairs of their country and violating any agreements under which the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) is headquartered there. This is a regional issue and who better to speak on such an issue than the head of the bank charged with responsibility for facilitating development in the region.
Yours faithfully,
Wesley Kirton
Mr. Kirton ! ‘My simple question’ in that long epistle. So you visited with high officials at the White House. That is exactly what you wanted to tell the plebs. Get outta here !
My question is: Apart from Guyanese with problems in Barbados and Trinidad or any other Caribeean nation, how many other Caricom nations with nationals in Caricom countries are having problems?
Is this really a Caricom problem or is it a problem related mostly to Guyanese in Caricom nations? Talk to me anybody! Because I am not hearing of Caricom nationals having problems in Guyana!
Guyana have little or NOTHING to offer, so there is
little or no need for caricom nationals who may want to go to Guyana and look for a job, baybe to visit or a
business trip. The Guyana Government must do better of
its people.
Andy,
If other Caricom nations are experiencing an influx of illegal Caricom nationals to their country, they’re not publicizing it. It is a Caricom problem and a problem mostly related to GY citizens residing in Caricom countries. The reason why it is a Caricom problem is because the well off Caricom nations, have adopted the posture of “don’t do as I do, do as I say”. In essence they are saying, they can treat other nationals any way they see fit but don’t want that same treatment to be meted out to their nationals because that would not be keeping with REGIONAL INTEGRATION. And it is also a GY problem because GY citizens make up a disproportionate of the illegals in these countries.
And the reason why you’re not hearing of Caricom nationals having similar problems in Guyana, is because the movement of people leaving GY is disproportionate to the amount coming in, so it would not be in the best interest of the GY government to implement a comprehensive immigration policy like B’dos, because the GY economy is not strong enough to absorbed the resulting after effects of such a policy.
Wayne, you continue the intellecually dishonest discourse by ignoring the apparent glaring attempts to shift the drug trade from Guyana to Barbados under the guise of poor Guyanese only looking for work
no one else is having problems only Guyanese are having problems why? after 17 years you hear even Dr. Yesu Persaud is stating it over 80% of university graduates leave the country because there are no jobs in this country.
While there are no jobs in this country JAgdeo is busy saying goodbye to investors like UNAMCO rather than working with them to create more jobs for Guyanese.
Jagdeo instead of opening up the media and broadcasting industry in Guyana prefers to stifle it and maintain the PPP propaganda press.
Instead of spending money on wind power and technology to upgrade the foolice force what have they done?
Read the auditor general’s report clearly it shows there are no processes of reconciling the books.
It makes me wonder again, why were those people fired from Transport and harbors department by RubHimSum Benn? In that case it was the norm to just spend money and now you are seeing it all over in every ministry so how come more heads are not rolling?
“Who better person to speak on such an issue.?”.Yaaaaawn….
Kirton, apart for using the Barbados opportunity to inform of your White House closed door meeting, did you tell Valarie Jarrett what’s the problem in Guyana that forcing Guyanese to flee. Hope you did.
Nothing is forcing Guyanese to flee they are leaving on their own free will, maybe they love being illegal and humiliated in other peoples country, Guyana is not refusing any of its citizen there is enough for everyone.
coolieman ,, i read ur posts ,, and i make silent notes ,, not only of and from u ,, but abt all who leave their foot prints haysuh ! now that u know ,, i hasten to add to ur very affirmative assertion !….. with simple words ,, i said it b4
the element of greed and the satisfaction of being a slave for others ,, where the mind is at ease since the chances of getting a lost ID or p/port of — some even fuh sale — ,, to go to any of the ABC’s and even further afield ,, an baje dare nat tell meh iz nat suh caz dem gat nuff wah gon deh pon Eastern Parkway come labour day wah com fum baje GUYANA an mo ,,, wah come hay pon adah people documents !…..
dem even gat some ahdem in dis forum ,, akardin to bro Bob meh throw meh ca,,,, well y’al know de chorous ! suh juss sing-a-lang ! iz sam we deh ,, big enuff fuh de five or suh million wah mek up de c’bean !….
nuda veritas !….
“…if in fact what is happening in our region is just as bad or worse than that which we are seeking to correct in the US?”
Wesley Kirton, you are dead wrong.
US and Canadian deportations have well defined parameters and
rights are observed. While some of the deportations seem
heartless, due process is methodically pracrised, and decent
treatment given to those incarcerated before deportation.
Not so in the Caribbean.
So you are wrong in your comparisons.
Very well said Mr Kirton…we have to bear and forbear with our bretheren if we ourselves want to be forgiven….there are many undocumented Bajans in the US, Canada, England and Europe and i’m sure that the Govt of Barbados would not want its nationals to be treated in the manner it is treating the Guyanese nationals…here in the US they piggy back on our calls for Caribbean justice and want us to promote their tourism..however, when it comes to living in Barbados they want to be separate…its typical Bajan mentality…remember the calypso..”tek you meat out me rice”
Madan Jagdeo , Barbados is only 166 sq. miles while Guyana is 83,000 sq. miles , so you tell me where in Barbados are all the illegal immigrants and their family will be housed , schooled and have their health needs taken care of . The social services in Barbados are under pressure especially in the area of housing . A working class Bajan can no longer afford to rent a house in the private sector because the landlords are renting them to the illegal immigrants at very high rates . We have to build a new General Hospital at the cost of $700 million (Barbados) . We had to close one of our secondary schools and the children of non-nationals are still attending schools . Bus fare is also free to all school children travelling on the govt. owned buses . The building boom which attracted so many Guyanese artisans to Barbados is now over , many projects are on hold and some abandon ; therefore , without work , what will these immigrants do , plus many are un-documented .
Foreign exchange earned by Barbados is being sent to Guyana and other Caribbean countries and some of the methods used are not legal . A guyanese man was arrested and charged because he had an illegal way of sending US dollars to Guyana .
The global recession is also affecting Barbados and we are going to manage our socio-economic affairs the best way possible .
The bajan government is right, send them back to jagdeo
country, every man woman and child, let him find wuk fo
de people in guyana Mr Kirton.
I would like to ask all Bajan bloggers to suspend blogging on this issue until after PM Thompson has had his say to the media in Georgetown, and the wider world by satelite sometime during the upcoming conference in Guyana.
I will abide Sanderson, but my tongue is blistering hot for these anti-Barbados persons.
Like he told you something we do not know and what he is going to say to Caricum leaders!? That he is not born Barbadian and as a result does not know of the good relations and interaction we had in the distant past or can’t feel it, and if “I say that dem Guyanese must leave, they must leave!?”
Mr. Kirton, nothing is stopping you and the Caribbean Diaspora from jumping on plane and heading to B’dos and lobbying the B’dos government for comprehensive immigration reform. As a matter of fact, the Caricom heads of Government is having their meeting in GY on 1 July, which would be the perfect forum to lobby for a “kinder, gentler” approach to dealing with the issue of deportation as it relates to Caricom nationals.
Alot of the men that are illegally in Barbados are in the construction industry-we need our nationals here in our booming construction industry so the problem is not job but higher wages. WE need you guys here ,why live and suffer the constant harassment developing another country when you can stay here and do the same -life is not only about dollar and cents -so come home for when the party is over there is no other place like home.Most of the people that supports this regime lives comfortable lifestyle in developed countries but will support the govt based on race based politics.Barbados is a tiny island and the Gvt is doing what is right for its citizen while our govt because of their ineffectiveness in managing the economy for over 17 years have its nationals helter skelter all over the globe and unlike other nationals who returned to the country after a stint in the developed world Guyanese chose not to.Caricom is doing nothing for Guyana we should get out and focus in forging ties with our neighbours and other countries in south america.
I agree with you,I think guyanese would be better off in a non english speaker country in case wanting to emigrate,if I were guyanese I´d go to any of the spanish speaker country of South America where english knowledge is highly appreciated,Margarita island for instance,it is the most famous venezuelan island,with plenty of good hotels where english knowledge is mandatory but the destinationes are wide in our Southamerica.
Everybody taking their anger out on the Barbados Government for their actions against us Guyanese.Thats all fine and dandy….but who is holding the Guyana Government accountable for not doing a better job with regards to our econony?The Bajan Government is looking out for their own, but the same cannot be said for our’s.