See release from the Alliance for Change:
The Alliance For Change (AFC) condemns the Government’s decision to allow Guyana to become a destination for non-Guyanese criminals and undesirables being deported from the United States, and particularly, the secretive manner in which this arrangement was negotiated and is being implemented.
The most egregious aspect is not simply that the Government volunteered Guyana for this programme. It is that the people of Guyana only learned that the arrangement existed after foreign media reported that the first wave of deportees had already arrived. We have heard anecdotally that the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) may have some involvement with the settlement of these deportees. The details of this arrangement, if true, must also be shared, and by extension, what plans does the government have if these persons decide to make Guyana their permanent home? Is this a desirable outcome that has been catered for?
The Government now says that negotiations took place for months. If so, why were Guyanese citizens not informed? Why was the National Assembly not given an opportunity to examine an arrangement with obvious implications for Guyana’s sovereignty, immigration policy and national security?
The concern is heightened by the language used by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in describing persons being deported by the United States, referring to some as “the worst people we have ever interacted with.” While we recognise that this statement could have been made in a different context, it underscores the seriousness of accepting deportees from another jurisdiction and the need for complete transparency about who is being sent here and why.
The Alliance For Change therefore demands that the Government immediately publishes the full agreement with the United States; and submits itself to a rigorous debate and discussion within the National Assembly. An account must be given of what agreements and commitments have been made on the people’s behalf, and constant scrutiny must be allowed. Anything short of this is an insult to the Guyanese people and their elected representatives.
The AFC reaffirms that Guyana remains a sovereign republic and international cooperation is welcome. However, secret agreements affecting the people of Guyana are not.
The Alliance For Change calls on the Government to come clean with the Guyanese people.
