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On 3rd December, Chief Justice Roxanne George-Wiltshire SC blocked a government move to deport 26 Haitians from Guyana pending a full hearing. Let us accept upfront that immigration policy must consider several weighty issues, such as border and national security, refugee settlement, social integration of immigrants, trafficking in persons, and international agreements. Which foreigner gets to enter, stay, and live in Guyana will vary from person to person, and from reason to reason. Under the last government, for example, thousands of economic refugees from Venezuela were allowed to settle in Guyana for humanitarian reasons. On the flipside, soon after the March elections, three persons with Russian background were deported from Guyana for reasons of national security.
Under the previous government, the entry of Haitians into Guyana spurred allegations of demographic engineering to increase the Black voting population. Likewise, the current government’s attempt to deport Haitians has raised countercharges of racism. Where is the truth? To answer, CONPOV will be watching on two fronts: (i) how solid will be the evidence the PPP government brings to the court to support its case of trafficking against the Haitians, and (ii) how fair-mindedly the PPP handles future demand by Haitians to enter Guyana, given their rights under the CARICOM Treaty of Chaguaramas. But in addition, the PPP’s immigration policy must be closely scrutinized in light of the expected influx of persons from various regions into the country seeking jobs and opportunities in an oil-rich economy.