ILLEGAL ALIENS IN GUYANA

Sep 20, 2012 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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A few months ago, a Venezuelan woman who said that she came to Guyana looking for her man was deported for overstaying in the country.
Recently, another foreign national who was here, reportedly for studies, told the media that he was being ordered to return to his home country.
Other nationals, including Brazilians, have in the past been charged and placed before the Courts, fined and ordered deported.
The Courts have to dispense justice in accordance with the law and if persons are brought before the Courts, then those persons would have to face the consequences of any action of theirs that was unlawful.
The problem is not with the Courts but with the decision of the authorities to charge persons with not being legal in the country. Guyana should not be hauling persons before the courts for being illegal aliens without first asking those persons to voluntarily leave the country.
A better way has to be found to deal with the problem of illegal aliens in Guyana without hauling them before the courts. This should not be happening, at least not in Guyana whose nationals are known to be illegal all over the world.
There are thousands of Guyanese who are illegal aliens in Venezuela. The same situation exists in Brazil.  Guyanese could have for many years actually taken a speed boat and travel to Suriname via a route which is known as the “backtrack route” without any documentation. There are tens of thousands of Guyanese living in Suriname and there is no mass deportation.
However, if those persons misbehave and run foul of the laws of their host countries, they can be charged for whatever criminal activity they are engaged in and deported.
The Guyana Government has been highly critical of the way Guyanese are treated at some regional airports. For years, there were criticisms over the manner in which immigration authorities in Barbados treated Guyanese. Recently, there was criticism of the treatment of Guyanese by the authorities in Trinidad. And whenever Guyanese have been rounded up and deported, there have been vociferous concerns expressed locally.
Given the experience that Guyanese have had in other countries, the humiliation that they face and the fact that in almost every country in the region there may be illegal Guyanese, it is disconcerting to read that the authorities in Guyana are hauling persons before the courts for being in the country illegally, including for overstaying their time.
Yes, Guyana where each year thousands of persons apply for visas to go to countries for a “holistay”. They leave on a holiday but they stay and do not return to Guyana.
The immigration laws of any country must be complied with. But it is also the duty of the authorities to ensure that there is even compliance with the laws. Certain persons cannot be allowed to be illegal in Guyana while the unfortunate are picked up, thrown in dirty lock-ups and later hauled before the courts where they are fined and ordered deported.
When foreign nationals suffer these humiliations, they would not have pleasant memories of Guyana. They may probably never want to see these shores again, especially if they feel that there are other aliens in Guyana who are not being picked up. And they will discourage their friends from coming here. This represents a negative image for the country.
Instead of hauling undocumented and illegal aliens before our courts, they should be asked to leave voluntarily. If Guyana adopts a more humanistic approach to illegal aliens, then we will not have a bad name. In fact, the many persons who come here will want to ensure that their documentation is in order and will try to ensure this because they were shown understanding.
If Guyana continues, however, to pick up illegal aliens, throw them in the lockups and then haul them before the courts, then other countries may wish to do the same for our nationals. The result will be mass deportations of Guyanese.
This will present a major social problem in Guyana because the social services will not be able to cope with the influx; there will be no jobs for the tens of thousands that will be sent back; many of them will have no place to go since they may have been overseas for a long time and have no ties here.
It is therefore not in Guyana’s interest to be hauling persons before the courts for being illegal in Guyana. It is also not good for the image of the country.
A more considerate attitude should be shown whereby persons who are illegal can be asked to apply for the necessary documentation, including permits to extend their stay, or be given a period of two weeks to leave voluntarily.

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