However, the West Indians behind bars in New York, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, California, Texas, Connecticut and other states were serving time after being convicted of a range of felony offences, including homicide, rape, drug trafficking, possession of deadly weapons, assaults, armed robbery and fraud.
Diplomats of Jamaica ’s embassy in Washington estimate that more than 6,000 nationals of the Caribbean country were now in custody awaiting deportation while representatives of different Caribbean nations say they are processing requests for travel documents from U.S. authorities who want to boot hundreds out of the country. Haitians, Guyanese, Trinidadians, Barbadians, Belizeans, Vincentians, St. Lucians,Grenadians are among those on the deportation lists.
“The majority of them are people who came here legally and have overstayed their visas,” explained Clifford Chambers, security attaché’ at the Jamaican Embassy in Washington.
In essence, most of them are not being booted out because they committed serious crimes but simply ran afoul of the immigration laws.
“In recent times, we are faced with an influx of Jamaicans in U.S. custody who are facing deportation. And that has to do with the beefing up of the staff in the immigration and customs sections by U.S. authorities,” Chambers told a Jamaican newspaper. “The majority of them are not really felony charges.”
Cyril Thomas, St. Vincent’s Deputy Consul-General in New York , said that his office had also received requests for travel documents from American immigration authorities who “want to deport nationals of my country.” As in the case of Jamaica , some of the Vincentians had become illegal immigrants, but were certainly not criminals.
“We have requests for documents for five people who are in line to be deported. But we are waiting for the outcome of their appeals of deportation orders,” he said. “Some immigrants who were earmarked for
deportation have had their appeals upheld for one reason or another and are still in the country. So we have to wait and see.”
deportation have had their appeals upheld for one reason or another and are still in the country. So we have to wait and see.”
Last year, 22 Vincentians were deported by the U.S. to their birthplace.
In the case of Barbados , Lennox Price, the country’s Consul-General in the City, said recently that at least 19 more Bajans were set to be deported this year. They would join five who have already been booted out after serving time in jail for offences, ranging from manslaughter, possession of a deadly weapon, indecent assault and battery and robbery in the first degree. On average between 22-23 Bajans are deported annually.
“This is a situation over which we have no control,” Price told the Carib News. “It’s an unfortunate picture but they are our nationals and they have been convicted and have completed their sentences then we have to accept them, once it’s clear they are in fact Barbadians.”
Consular officials are quick to point out that the deportees account for a “fraction” of their respective immigrant communities in the U.S.
“When you take into consideration that many of the deportees are not criminals but are people who have gone out of status by overstaying their time, the true picture becomes evident,” said a consular representative. “We are basically law-abiding people.”
Commenting on the deportations to Jamaica which last year amounted to less than 1,500, the island-nation’s Ambassador to the United States , Audrey Marks, urged thousands of Jamaicans eligible to become American
citizenship to take the step because of the benefits naturalization confers, including protection against deportation.
citizenship to take the step because of the benefits naturalization confers, including protection against deportation.
“There is so much protection in the system that people are not using out of ignorance, Marks was quoted as saying. She complained that far too many Jamaicans spend almost their
entire lives in the U.S. , opt not to become citizens. , but then face deportation when convicted of misdemeanors.
entire lives in the U.S. , opt not to become citizens. , but then face deportation when convicted of misdemeanors.
Like Ambassador Marks both Thomas and Price complained about the disruption of family life caused by deportation. “We have families that are split apart when a major breadwinner is
deported, often for a minor infraction,” said Price.
deported, often for a minor infraction,” said Price.
John Maginley, Antigua’s Minister of Tourism and Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s Council of Ministers, said in New York that Caribbean countries, including his own, were worried about the negative impact of criminal deportees on public safety in the countries to which they were being sent by the U.S.
“Many of them have few links with their birthplaces and often resort to criminal behavior once back in the islands,” he said. “That’s something that needs to be addressed by the United States.”