The government of Grenada said on Monday that it would send back 15 Haitians who came to the island as tourists on Sunday. Immigration said that they would be a burden on the public budget, so they will be sent back.
At a news conference, Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell, who is also Minister for National Security and Immigration, said that the French-speaking people had come to Grenada on a flight from Trinidad and Tobago, which is close by.
“So, the Immigration officers were able to find out during their regular checks that they would be a burden on the public purse if they were allowed to enter the state,” said Prime Minister Mitchell, explaining that the decision was based on how much cash the Haitians had when they arrived.
He said that because Haiti is part of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), there are only a few reasons why a CARICOM citizen can’t enter a member state.
“One of which is a charge on the public purse, and the other will be, in broad terms, a national security risk.” Mitchell said that the Haitians couldn’t stay in a hotel for at least one night because it would be a “charge on the public purse.”
“If you are not a citizen of Grenada and you come to Grenada, you must stay at a hotel for at least one night unless you are staying with a friend or family member. If you don’t have friends or family, you must be able to pay for a hotel for at least one night.
“If you don’t have enough cash or a credit card to pay for a hotel for one night, that means you don’t have a place to stay,” he said. “And if you don’t have a place to stay and we let you into our community, we’ll have to take care of you.”
Grenada wants to get rid of them by Monday night.
Mitchell said that the political and economic situation in Haiti will be talked about at the three-day CARICOM summit that will start on Wednesday in the Bahamas.
