On the heels of an announcement that the Caribbean is said to be bracing for an increased number of criminal deportees from The United States (U.S) Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Fred Mitchell says, this continues to be an issue.
CARICOM he says has been well aware of this process for quite some time.
“The United States has been engaged as is The UK in deporting people back to the Caribbean and other countries who have never lived in the Caribbean and there is no reason for them to be deported back tot these societies because they don’t know these societies,” he said.
“Every time CARICOM meets with the U.S Leaders they note the point that this is wrong and it should stop as it is cruel and inhumane punishment. The United States does not stop and neither does the UK.”
Mr. Mitchell told The Bahama Journal that this creates a ripple effect that is ultimately bad for society.
“They are bringing people back into societies that are not a fit in the society they didn’t’ grow up in. Secondly, they are importing skills and crimes which were here to forth unknown and what is happening is that violence and crime are spiraling out of control in these societies in part due to this,” he said.
As for whether any Bahamians are among this pending mass deportation, Minister Mitchell could not say.
He acknowledged though that there are Bahamians deported in these circumstances annually.
Again, he noted it is a concern that has been brought to the attention of US officials on numerous occasions but to no avail.
“I think they’re just a large society and they don’t really care. They just want them out by any means necessary. They have adjusted somewhat by supposedly providing some assistance in some cases for preparing people back in our societies but none of that makes any difference,” Minister Mitchell said.
“It needs to stop it just needs to stop as a practice but we don’t have the power to stop it. We continue to object to it.”
Plans to ramp up criminal deportation come just days after U.S President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban was implemented.
CARICOM’s implementing agency for crime and security is expected to hold a meeting to further discuss the issue in next month.
