Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Guyanese illegal immigrants return home

THE GOVERNMENT of Guyana says at least 32 nationals who did not qualify for the amnesty granted to illegal immigrants by Barbados are reintegrating themselves under a scheme being conducted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Foreign Affairs Minister, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, said based on official figures, most of those persons returned to the country during the latter part of last year.

The Barbados government last year granted a six-month amnesty to illegal Caribbean nationals following recommendations from a Cabinet sub-committee on immigration that was established to develop a new and comprehensive immigration policy for the island.

The move by Bridgetown was bitterly opposed by some regional governments, notably Guyana and St Vincent and the Grenadines, and was a major talking point at the annual CARICOM summit in Guyana in July.

In the end, the regional leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the free movement of nationals across the region, consistent with the provisions contained in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas that governs the 15-member grouping.

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