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FM
Former Member

The fears of the Foreign Ministry are misplaced

Mar 02, 2017 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom, http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....istry-are-misplaced/

Every country has a right to protect its interest. Americans have a right to just that, including through expulsions of those whom they feel constitute a threat to security within their borders.

In recent weeks, immigration raids have been taking place within various states in the United States of America. The raids have included places in New York City which is home to the largest Guyanese immigrant community.

Undocumented Guyanese in the United States are scared stiff about being caught in one of these raids. While the raids are intended to target undocumented immigrants who have a criminal record, an increasing larger percentage of those without such a record were rounded up. If some of these undocumented immigrants without a criminal record are deported, it will raise ‘goose bumps’ within the Guyanese immigrant community since there are large numbers of illegal immigrants from Guyana residing in the United States.

It is not likely, though, that the Trump administration will engage in mass deportations of undocumented immigrants without criminal records. There is an economic cost to rounding up undocumented immigrants without criminal records. The USA cannot afford to do this but even if it does on some arbitrary scale, the number of Guyanese illegal immigrants in the USA is infinitesimal compared with illegal Mexicans and therefore, statistically, the number of Guyanese which will be caught in any such deportation net is likely to be very small.

There is therefore no need for worry on the part of illegal Guyanese in the United States. For one, the raids are primarily intended to identify illegal aliens with criminal records. These will be deported. Secondly, Guyanese constitute a small fraction of the overall number of illegal aliens in the USA and therefore even if the raids are expanded to include these persons, Guyanese will represent a small fraction of those likely to be deported.

Guyanese at home should not expect an influx of undocumented aliens without criminal records, from the USA. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should not get paranoid and anticipate that it will have to do a lot of paperwork in order to facilitate mass deportations of illegal Guyanese immigrants from the USA. This will not happen.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is wasting precious time and resources by holding a seminar on this issue for staffers of the Foreign Ministry. The fears of the Foreign Ministry are misplaced.

It would not be too bad for Guyana in any event if there were mass deportations of undocumented illegal Guyanese immigrants without criminal records, from the USA.

Guyanese are known in the USA for their hard work and their ability to save money. There are Guyanese who would turn up their noses at doing certain jobs in Guyana. But when they reach the Big Apple they suddenly are willing to take the most menial of jobs for minimum wages.

They do wonders with this minimum wages. They save, buy properties and send their children to university. They pay their medical bills. Guyanese in the USA are progressive people. The USA knows this.

They know that if they deport undocumented Guyanese without criminal records this will lead to a run on the banks because those being deported will bring back to Guyana their savings. So it will lead to capital flight if there are mass deportations back home of illegal immigrants. It would be interesting to know whether the staff of the Foreign Ministry was provided with this particular insight or whether fears of instability were drummed into their heads.

What Guyana has to be afraid of is the imminent deportation of hundreds of Guyanese who are not citizens of the USA and who are in jail in the United States. These persons will be sent back to Guyana.

Many of them have absolutely no ties to this country and therefore will find reintegration extremely difficult.

These are the categories of deportees which the country should be worried about given past experience. But this is a concern more for public security than it is for public diplomacy. Were the staffers of the Foreign Ministry made aware of this fact?

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The fears of the Foreign Ministry are misplaced

Mar 02, 2017 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom, http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....istry-are-misplaced/

What Guyana has to be afraid of is the imminent deportation of hundreds of Guyanese who are not citizens of the USA and who are in jail in the United States. These persons will be sent back to Guyana.

Perhaps most will be accepted by the PNC/AFC officials and reintegrated in their past activities.

FM

The fears of the Foreign Ministry are misplaced

Mar 02, 2017 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom, http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....istry-are-misplaced/

It is not likely, though, that the Trump administration will engage in mass deportations of undocumented immigrants without criminal records. There is an economic cost to rounding up undocumented immigrants without criminal records. The USA cannot afford to do this but even if it does on some arbitrary scale, the number of Guyanese illegal immigrants in the USA is infinitesimal compared with illegal Mexicans and therefore, statistically, the number of Guyanese which will be caught in any such deportation net is likely to be very small.

Seems to be the approach in many countries.

FM

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