Over 100 Vincies said to be on US Deportation list

Any country within the framework of its domestic law and in accordance with international law and best practices can refuse entry to a person or deport someone who they consider undesirable.

Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves pointed this out on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, on NBC Radio’s “Your Morning Cup” programme.

His comments came days after the circulation of information that more than 127 persons from St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) were on the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportation list.

The list was published in November, 2024 by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operation (ERO) initiative, and up to November 24 that year, had 1,445,549 individuals on the non-detained docket with final orders of removal.

Donald Trump, sworn in as the 47th president of the United States of America(USA) on Monday, January 20, 2025, had all throughout his political campaign declared his intention to deport “millions” of people who were living illegally in the US, striking fear into immigrant communities.

One day after he was sworn in, Trump immediately began signing executive orders on immigration and during his first week in office, he signed 10 such orders, and issued a slew of proclamations aimed at making good on his promises of mass deportations.

Prime Minister Gonsalves said on NBC Radio on Wednesday that while he had not received anything formal about the deportations, St Vincent and the Grenadines is obliged to receive from another country, its nationals who are being deported in accordance with domestic and legal processes.

He said that once the deportation conditions are satisfied, “clearly, we have an obligation to receive our citizens”.

Gonsalves, who is also Minister of National Security, said that the issue of the domestic law is usually very clear and that is what country’s act on firstly.

“But responsible countries would have to pay attention also to international law, best practice” for instance, if persons are not detained in circumstances which do not offend international humanitarian law.

“There is a certain basic minimum of treatment which you have to accord them,” Gonsalves pointed out.

He added that in relation to international best practice, the difficulties that CARICOM countries have- and they have made representation about this to various US governments- from George Bush to Joseph Biden, is that all the information in relation to the deportee is not sent to the country.

He said that this request has been around even before the time of the Unity Labour Party (ULP) administration.

“CARICOM and St Vincent and the Grenadines have been asking that if you are deporting someone, we are obliged to receive them, but what has been happening, and this is when time to time, they deport small numbers- two, three, four, five, we have had them through successive administrations, we ask for the antecedents of the person who is deported,” the Prime Minister said.

He noted that at times, someone would complete a jail sentence, for example, for burglary or robbery, and they are deported with that information only.

“…. all the information we have is that he/she has been serving time, and we do not know the history, how long they have been there, what is his/her skills, educational attainment, the criminal record…

“…because that person has to be reintegrated into our society, and they arrive at the AIA, and our security forces may hold that person for a short period of time to question them, and the police would try to get background, but they are not obliged to answer you because the time you can question them is very limited time…” Gonsalves pointed out.

He said there were times when persons were sent to SVG and have nowhere to go as they didn’t have family in the country.

“…and you have to put them up at Government’s expense for a short period of time until they’re properly settled so we would like to see all the information is provided to us,” he said.

“This is a small country, you could imagine if you send home 50 who are criminally minded? Or in some cases psychopaths? You don’t have a background about them…” the national security minister lamented.

“This country has been reeling for the last few years, from a rise in gun crimes, recording 55 killings in 2023 and 54 in 2024, record numbers and an influx of persons who may bring new and different criminal skill sets to the country could be problematic for an already struggling police force,” Gonsalves pointed out.

SVG is not the only Caribbean country set to be affected by ICE’s deportation push.

Saint Kitts and Nevis has 68 persons on the US deportation list, Antigua and Barbuda has 110, Barbados 151, Saint Lucia 202, and Jamaica 1100.

The world’s governments are closely monitoring the deportations, with countries in the Caribbean expecting significant economic and social implications when these deportees return.

Prime Minister Gonsalves said he is certain that this topic would be dealt with at the CARICOM summit in February.

This country’s Consul General to the USA, Rondy “Luta” Mc Intosh, calling in to WEFM on Wednesday, January 29, said there was one Vincentian in the custody of ICE.