Even as Guyana agreed to accept third-country nationals from the United States, the Government has already rejected several persons from the first batch of migrants who arrived here earlier this month.
“A lot of people were rejected,” US Ambassador to Guyana Nicole Theriot told reporters during an interview on the side-lines of the INTERPOL Americas Regional Conference on Wednesday.
The migration cooperation framework allows for Guyana to receive a “limited, vetted” number of “skilled and non-criminal individuals” from the US through the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Assisted Voluntary Return Programme.
Already, at least six third-country nationals have arrived in Guyana and will remain here until their immigration status is determined by the US Government.
However, according to Ambassador Theriot, they were hoping to send more migrants on that first flight. “[On] the last manifest, you will know that only six people came, and the manifest was quite large. So, a lot of people were rejected,” the US diplomat noted, adding that she is unsure of how many more foreign nationals are expected to come before the end of the year.
“We do not send anyone that has not been approved by the Government, and so it’s really not possible for me to say [how many more will come]. Our plan was to hopefully send one flight a month with those who had been approved.”
“The Government here have said they will not take anyone with a criminal record, which is absolutely appropriate and within their rights. And they make the determination based on the information that we provide, but also the information that they [have]… So, they’re able to vet these people with their own intelligence, and so it’s a combination of ways that they look at every single person to make sure they are absolutely not letting anyone into Guyana that could cause harm,” she stated.
Funding for migrants
The Guyana Government has already made it clear that this is a temporary arrangement and that it has the final say in who it accepts coming into the country. Those foreign nationals coming here are being accommodated by IOM through its programme that is being funded by the US Government.
In fact, Ambassador Theriot told reporters on Wednesday that some US$7.8 million was given to the IOM, which is the United Nations (UN) Migration Agency, as part of a two-year contract.
“It covers IOM helping for those individuals to be resettled either permanently or until they can go back to their home country. It also provides for job skills training if that’s something that is needed. If the person doesn’t have the skills that are useful here in Guyana, it provides for that as well. So, it’s comprehensive. It’s all of their wellbeing. It’s health and medical. It is housing. It is food. It is communications. It is making sure they can communicate with their families. It is a comprehensive package. IOM does this all over the world, and they do it extremely well,” she asserted.
According to the US Ambassador, while the programme caters to permanent resettlement, this is entirely up to the individuals and Guyanese authorities.
“There are two different programmes. One is where they are just waiting here until they are returned to their home country, if they agree to that, or they can choose to resettle. It is up to them and the Government, of course,” Theriot stated.
Only last week, President Dr Irfaan Ali maintained that Guyana has retained full vetting sovereignty over and complete discretion to reject the foreign nationals proposed for relocation here.
Human rights credentials
In fact, during an interview with Al Jazeera while on a state visit in Qatar earlier this month, the Guyanese Head of State rejected the notion that this arrangement could set a precedent for the US to ‘dump’ foreign nationals here.
“We have exceptionally good human rights credentials… Of course, everything in life has an element of risk, but here is where we have the names before. We do our own vetting to our own satisfaction, and then we agree with the names. This is not a situation where the US turns up with a plane and just throws people off on your shores,” the President asserted.
Ali went on to dismiss human rights concerns, citing Guyana’s good track record and the fact that the country is already housing migrants from countries like Venezuela and Cuba who enjoy full and free access to social services.
On September 4, the first batch of foreign individuals – four from Cuba and two from Afghanistan – arrived in Guyana on a special US deportation flight. Their records, provided by the US, indicated that they had no criminal background, and the youngest is 20 years old, with the oldest being 36.
According to several international news agencies, Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud said these persons were accepted after being vetted by local authorities, adding that “the US has not made any further requests” for additional persons up to that time.
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