Passports
not 'marked'

by TRACY MOORE

in Georgetown, Guyana

GUYANA'S IMMIGRATION OFFICE has confirmed that Guyanese who have been deported from Barbados do not have their passports marked against them.

Prime Minister David Thompson had stated last week in a Press conference in Guyana that Barbados' Immigration Department avoided stamping passports with deportation orders to avoid negative or permanent marks against the person being deported.

At the time, Thompson said: "It is clear that we asked people to leave voluntarily. It is in their interest to do so because their passport is not stamped and therefore do not have to apply for the lifting of the deportation order.

"So there may be people who have been asked to return here after having been asked to leave who interpret that as being deportation - or the authorities here may interpret that as being deportation," he said.

Free to travel

But Guyana's Chief Immigration Officer Henry Greene, who is also Commissioner of Police, advised that those who have been sent back were free to travel again and even return to Barbados.

Speaking to the SUNDAY SUN in Georgetown Guyana, he said: "Their passports do not have the red stamp marked 'deported', so what we do is check to see how they left the country (Guyana).

"If it was legally, which most of them do leave Guyana legally, based on that, and in keeping with our laws, the deportee is not prevented from travelling again and can travel at any time. They can go back to Barbados," he said.

Greene said many of those who were deported were skilled workers, with only immigration offences, "[but Government] has nothing set up to assist them socially or economically."

He said there had been some discussion with the International Organisation of Migration (IOM) to establish a pilot project that would provide special service for deportees to Guyana, Jamaica, and Haiti; but that was targeting those returning from the United States only.

Similar talks

In addition, similar talks had been held with the Canadian High Commission for deportees from Canada; but nothing has been discussed for those deported from within the region, he said.

Thompson said he was prepared to consider a more structured approach to the re-admission of overstays, whether through protocol or memorandum of understanding with the Guyana government.

He also disclosed that he was prepared to look carefully at a guest worker programme in areas where the labour market might justify it in the future while looking at establishing a formal mechanism for regular consultations and information exchange between Barbados' and Guyana's Chief Immigration Officers and senior personnel.

Misrepresented

Meanwhile, the Guyanese Chief Immigration Office/Chief of Police Office held steadfastly that the numbers and treatment quoted by the Barbados Government were misrepresented.

"There were more than four deportees returned from Barbados in the last month. We are the receiving country and those deported from Barbados came with a note from the stewards on board the flight.

"This month (June) 24 Guyanese were deported from Barbados," Greene charged, holding an Immigration document.

His assistant Commissioner of Police Seelall Persuad said when a deportee was returned to Guyana, they were taken to headquarters and interviewed. This is how they were made aware of any ill-treatment, legal breaches, or if wanted for any offences before and after leaving Guyana.

"Records are made. If any of those are involved in any serious crimes, then they are monitored but a large number of deportees [coming from Barbados] only committed immigration offences; so we do not monitor," he said.

l tracymoore@nationnews.com