The Alliance For Change (AFC) today condemned the Government’s agreement with the United States to allow third-country deportees from the US to be sent to Guyana.

The government has already defended the agreement, and has explained that it caters for a small number of skilled, non-criminal persons to come to Guyana after a proper vetting process.

The agreement has not been made public.

However, in a statement today, the Alliance for Change said the decision by the Guyana Government opens the country to become a destination for non-Guyanese criminals and undesirables being deported from the United States. 

The party also said it is concerned over the secretive manner in which the 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,” the AFC questioned in a press statement today.

The party said given the Government’s statement that the agreement was being negotiated for months, it wants to know why the Government only informed the country that an agreement had been reached after it was already being implemented.

The AFC questioned the locking out of the National Assembly in the information being shared about the agreement, and Members of Parliament not being given an opportunity to discuss the issue.

“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 AFC stated.

The AFC, like other parties, is calling on the Government to immediately publish the full agreement with the United States and for the contents of the agreement to be debated in the National Assembly

The party said an account must be given of what agreements and commitments have been made on the people’s behalf.

The party said while international cooperation is welcomed, secret agreements affecting the people of Guyana will not be accepted.

Related posts:

Human Rights Association calls on Government to publish agreement to accept third-country deportees from the US US Ambassador sees benefit for Guyana in accepting skilled third-country deportees PNCR calls for consultation with national stakeholders before any agreement to accept third country deportees and refugees Guyana in advanced discussions with US to accept third country deportees and refugees