The Government has announced that within weeks, migrants will undergo mandatory registration, as part of its Electronic Identification (E-ID) Card System.

Illegal migrants, in particular, will be required to register for the E-ID card, failing which, could result in deportation.

Minister of Home Affairs, Oneidge Walrond made the announcement on Tuesday night during a press conference called to provide an update on the Police’s investigation into the deadly attack at the Mobil Gas Station, which was allegedly carried out by a Venezuelan national, Daniel Alexander Ramirez Peodomo.  Peodomo along with eight other suspected accomplices who are all in police custody.

Singling out Venezuelan migrants here in Guyana, Minister Walrond said while migrants are required to register at ports of entry, the reality is, Guyana’s borders are porous and that results in a number of undocumented migrants being here.

 “Venezuelan migrants who come here through our ports, they are all registered, their details are taken. However, we have acknowledged that the borders are porous and some people do enter illegally, and to address that the Government has launched E-ID programme,” the Home Affairs Minister said.

That was the case of Poedomo, who reportedly entered Guyana via river on Sunday morning and was undetected. The Police said he was carrying an explosive device which he later detonated in the heart of the capital city – Georgetown, killing little Soraya Bourne, and injuring four others.

At a time when there are reported “sleeper agents” from neighbouring Venezuelans in the country, the E-ID Card System is intended to keep track of all migrants in the country, not just Venezuelans.

Failure to register, particularly in the case of illegal migrants could result in deportation, the Minister warned.

 “Persons who are in Guyana illegally, they will be given a grace period by which to come to register and have this E-ID card. This card you will not be able to do anything, access any services, banking, without this E-ID card for non-citizens. And they will be given a grace period – after that grace period has expired and you do not register and have an E-ID card you will be taken out of the country and other sanctions will be implemented, that is the policy,” the Home Affairs Minister said.

The Commissioner of Police and Chief Immigration Officer, Clifton Hicken said the E-ID Card System would be rolled out within the next three to four weeks. He said the Immigration Authorities have been monitoring the migrant population, but another layer of registration is now necessary.

“Within the next three or four weeks we will use another mechanism, where we are going to ID all of the immigrants who are in Guyana that are not registered, so they are going to be registered,” Commissioner Hicken said.

In Guyana, there are vast numbers of migrants living in the country with Venezuelans representing the largest group of migrants. It is estimated that there may now be more than 50,000 Venezuelan migrants living here.

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