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- GHRA urges Gov’t to follow laws in dealing with US deportation issue
GHRA urges Gov’t to follow laws in dealing with US deportation issue
Kaieteur News- Guyana’s engagement with the United States (US) in relation to deportees must accord with the laws of both countries according to the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA).
The Association in a statement said it had taken note of the media reports that suggest Guyana is engaged in discussions on receiving African and Asian deportees from the US. In the event, there is substance to these reports, the GHRA expressed concern that the Guyana Government not be misled or flattered into entering any agreement, opportunistic favours or collaboration in the brutal exhibitionism playing out in the United States.
Men in shackles being led on to a military plane. Pic: X/PressSec
According to the GHRA, the illegal migrant issue has its origins in a decades-old system of seasonal work permits to service the California agricultural industry, which morphed into massive uncontrolled migration aggravated by global economic inequality, regional wars and the COVID pandemic.
Moreover, the GHRA noted the concept of ‘refugee’, developed originally in international law to protect individuals threatened by political persecution in their own countries, is being invoked in circumstances it was never devised to address.
As such, the GHRA said it is not challenging the right of the US to change its policies and laws on migration, provided this it is done legally and is applied impartially.
However, the association noted “What is taking place at present is a war on people of colour, who in many cases appear to be legally in the US and enjoy ‘Temporary Protected Status’.
“The current campaign is being implemented in shameless disregard for the law, shameless disregard for family units, and shameless vilifying of people as rapists, murders and criminally insane.”
It continued “Our concern is that Guyanese citizens not be drawn into collaborating with any part of the forced relocation and mayhem being implemented by President Trump. The limit of Guyanese involvement must be to ensure humane treatment for re-located Guyanese nationals and adherence to regional and international norms and standards.”
Moreover, any discussions the Government of Guyana may be forced to entertain should be guided by the following assurances and considerations: all relevant US laws are respected, including the Constitutional right to US citizenship of all persons born there.
The association said there should be written assurances that no person will be brought to Guyana against their will other than in-transit status; adequate financial resources are made available to cover the cost of onward travel, adequate resources are made available for any period of time spent by third country deportees in Guyana prior to in-transit to home countries in Asia and Africa. Further, the group said Guyana must guard against re-creation of bizarre arrangements, such as “the Jonestown scenario.”
“All of Guyana’s immigration requirements for in-transit persons must be respected.”
“Assurances that non-Guyanese will not be brought to Guyana against their will – a message hopefully communicated to the large delegation of US marshals that recently visited Guyana. Agreement from country of origin to receive back any deportee sent in-transit to Guyana. A warning to all airlines that no cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment will be tolerated by the Guyana Government,” the GHRA said.
(GHRA urges Gov’t to follow laws in dealing with US deportation issue)
(GHRA urges Gov’t )
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