Opposition Leader Ralph Gonsalves confirms that his administration engaged with the United States government regarding the acceptance of third-country refugees and deportees but argued against the proposal, asserting it was not in the interest of the United States or the region.
Gonsalves on Wednesday spoke to several specific arguments he presented to US officials explaining why St. Vincent and the Grenadines would not accept third-country nationals.
He warned that introducing even a small number of foreign deportees could have catastrophic effects on small island nations and that out of a dozen deportees, even four or five “vagabonds” could connect with local criminal enterprises and become “professors of crime”. He said he bluntly told American officials that this policy could result in “six other Haiti[s]” in the Caribbean rather than just one.
Gonsalves argued that the number of refugees the OECS countries could absorb (estimated at perhaps 10 to 12 annually per country) is negligible compared to the total number the US needs to manage. “I told them it is not in your interest for us to accept because the instability created would outweigh the minor relief provided to the US immigration system”.
He expressed concern that once an agreement is signed, the receiving country loses control over who arrives and noted that the US controls the information and the transport; once individuals are put on a plane and arrive at Argyle International Airport, the local government cannot effectively refuse specific individuals.
Regarding the deportation of actual Vincentian citizens, he states that the country accepts them “in accordance with international law”. However, he notes that his administration consistently demanded the “whole history” of the persons being deported information he claims the US often fails to provide.
The former prime minister observes that other countries in the region are “lining up to sign on” to these agreements. He attributes their compliance to vulnerability caused by Economic Citizenship programs (CBI).
He stated that these nations are accepting refugees because they are “selling passports and selling citizenship” and fear losing US favor or visa access and views this compliance as a form of “rolling over and playing dead,” which he said will lead to further demands and a loss of sovereignty, eventually turning parliaments into “local government assemblies.”