Authorities at the at the John F Kennedy (JFK) Airport in New York recently confiscated the mobile phone of Permanent Secretary at the Home Affairs Ministry, Mae Toussaint Jr Thomas, and the United States Embassy in Georgetown has informed the Guyana Government that it does not have any details on the reason at the moment behind the move.
According to reports, Thomas was on her way to China about a week ago and had to transit through the US. She was travelling with a Government Service Passport, which is issued to senior state officials for official travel duties.
This publication was told that the Permanent Secretary was travelling to China on official duties. However, while at the JFK Airport, she was pulled in for questioning by US authorities during which her cell phone was confiscated.
The Permanent Secretary, had nonetheless continued her journey to China following the incident.
Upon her return, Thomas is expected to file a report on the encounter to the Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ministry.
Following the incident, the Ministry, on behalf of the Guyana Government, had reached out the United States Embassy in Georgetown for information about what transpired and led to the actions of the US authorities at the JFK.
When contacted on Friday, Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Elisabeth Harper told this publication up to that time that they had not received any information from the US Government on the issue and were awaiting a report from the Embassy in Georgetown.
However, later Friday evening, INews was made aware of a response from the US Embassy to the Foreign Ministry’s request for details surrounding the confiscation.
“We don’t have any specific information to share,” Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy, Adrienne Galanek informed the Ministry on Friday.
The missive further went on to detail the policy of the Department of Homeland Security and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that is shared with all travellers to the US including citizens of that country.
“If CBP officers at a port of entry need more information to determine your admissibility into the US, you may be directed to an interview area known as secondary inspection. You could also be subjected to a secondary inspection as a result of a random search. Anyone, including US citizens, may be subject to secondary inspection if the CBP officer has reservations about admitting him or her. Secondary inspection is a more detailed inspection to determine admissibility. It allows CBP officers to conduct additional research to verify information without delaying other travellers.
During a secondary inspection, the CBP officer may ask you detailed questions about your travel plans and immigration history. You may also be asked to produce additional proof of identification and detailed information about the purpose of your visit to the US. Both you and your belongings may be subject to a thorough search. Such inspections may include a search of all electronic information stored on your laptop, cell phone or other electronic device.”
