– Rohee assures
MINISTER of Home Affairs, Mr. Clement Rohee, gave the assurance last week that deportees who arrive in this country are being monitored by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Criminal Investigations Department (CID), which also processes them upon their arrival. He gave the assurance in response to questions from the media in relation to deportees and their involvement in criminal activities.
Rohee said that when they arrive, the CID takes possession of them and, after they have been processed, based on information provided, they are monitored from time to time.
He said while the deportees may not commit crimes here, those they may have committed elsewhere, including murder, cannot be quickly forgotten.
“They may be of an aggressive temperament and, obviously, we may have to take that into consideration. Deportees may not be involved in crimes but some may not have paid their child support or other dues, which means we have measures in place for them to be re-integrated into society here,” Rohee stated.
He said there is a programme for deportees with the International Organisation of Migration and it works very closely with other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Guyana that deal with related issues, such as the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Labour and the GPF, to promote the re-integration process.
Rohee said, so far, the programme seems to be working well and there have not been any significant complaints of persons who may have been deported from overseas, saying that the system that is in place is not functioning.
He added that “we have to ensure that the people who are monitoring the system are on top of the situation, so that the system delivers what is expected of it.”
The United States (U.S.) has deported some 2,000 criminals back to the Caribbean in the past six months, according to figures released in April this year, from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Sixty-four of those sent back are Guyanese.