St. Vincent and the Grenadines will adopt the position of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States on the request by Washington that members of the bloc accept third-country refugees and deportees from the United States.
“… the Prime Minister has indicated that his OECS colleagues, prime ministers, will be meeting as a collective and deciding, with the proper advice from the technocrats, how we will address the State Department on this issue for clarifications and for the appropriate protocols in dealing with the situation,” Deputy Prime Minister St. Clair Leacock said on Boom FM on Monday.
“… let’s take these things in concentric circles. We’re not alone. That’s the CARICOM situation with Venezuela. That’s the CARICOM situation with immigrant situations. You listen to the news; you see what’s around it. The whole world is in crisis. Bigger people than us are trying to come to grips with their relationships,” said Leacock, who is also minister of national security and immigration.
He used the example of Europe and the United States regarding Washington’s attempt to annex Greenland, which is part of Denmark.
“… and they are big and mighty countries,” Leacock said, referring to Europe. “What are they doing? Not Germany by itself, not France by itself, not England by themselves.
“They’re saying, as a collective, let us have a conversation and have a stand. And if they are doing that, why do you feel small island states like St. Vincent want to be laws unto themselves?”
It was noted that SVG is a sovereign state. However Leacock maintained that SVG will follow the
“cooperative position of the OECS.
“… the cooperative position that the prime ministers sit down and disagree and agree, come out with after they’ve met with the US State Department. And that is not settled as yet.”
Asked if Kingstown has its own position, Leacock said:
“But what would be the position? The position is a rational position. Any person has a sense of self-belief and a sovereign state would not want someone to be imposing upon them what, on the surface, seems to be an unreasonable solution.
“And, therefore, you’re going to try and negotiate yourself out of that with your eyes wide open and a high degree of realism of who you’re coming up with and dealing with against. And that’s what it is. That’s what we’re dealing with.”
He asked radio listeners whether they want, “with one stroke of the pen, having taken a stand today on the immigrant position, which, basically, is people want to live in America, find that tomorrow, those of you want the right to go to America can’t go to the United States of America?
“And then the same set of people will say, ‘You all have messed up.’ So I’m taking guidance and direction from my foreign minister and my prime minister on this,” Leacock said.
He said he was scheduled to meet later on Monday with Commissioner of Police Enville Williams and the head of the regional security system.
“He will be making a presentation to us on the implications of Venezuela and other issues on regional security,” Leacock said, noting that in March, he takes up the chairmanship of the council of ministers for national security.
“So, we’re taking huge steps and quick cadence at the time on important regional matters. And you have to be guarded against getting ahead of yourself and feeling that these are decisions where you are an island or law unto yourself,” the deputy prime minister said.
“You are a collective and you are into protocols and collective agreements and regional agreements. And so, you have to be mindful of how one piece of the puzzle fits into the other, otherwise the mosaic doesn’t pan out properly.”
Asked if this means that SVG may accept nationals of third countries who are illegal immigrants in the United States, Leacock said, “It may, or it may not happen.”
He said the implications of doing so are huge.
“We already have enough challenges around with what we, quote, unquote, know about with respect to crime and violence, much more to the unknowns.”
However, one of the hosts of the radio show pointed out that not every illegal immigrant or refugee who might be removed from the United States and sent to a third country is a criminal.
“.. your point has relevance because I don’t know the numbers, I don’t know the nationalities, I don’t know the composition of what we’re talking about. But you know, sometimes you can take your lime and make lemonade,” Leacock said.
He noted that Caribbean countries are underpopulated and supposed what could happen if the people who are sent to the region “are people of means and talent and skills and other things.
“Sometimes that’s how new communities emerge that gives you a more cosmopolitan look and opportunities that you never anticipated.
“So let us, while we’re saying that is not something you jump and embrace, we don’t know what the possibilities are as yet. We haven’t got all the dynamics,” Leacock said.
That’s double speak leacock.
The mighty USA is looking to dump its problem on smaller countries after calling the countries shithole countries. Why don’t they try to do that in Europe?
This is the reason the USA imposed this VISA restrictions on these countries, so they can come begging. So to lift these restrictions, the deal is to take the deportees.
These are small islands with minimal security that can’t even curve their crimes. The US has all the power and everything else required to handle it’s own, we don’t. What is going to happen when these ppl touches our shores and start crimes and recruiting the locals.
Bottom line is, if TRUMP don’t want them we don’t, not our problem. The small island need to stick together on a firm NO decision, and i hope the people can understand it’s going to be tough for 2-3 years which we have to ride out together.
Like the Jamaican lady say,hungey belly people don’t have a say in dealing with this US administration. We can’t collectively feed ourselves ,so it’s a foregone conclusion. Negotiate the best terms you can when taking deportees. Conclusion:we’re not really free independent countries. Let’s stop fooling ourselves.Hope we can come out with a deal that can feed us and the deportees.
Hell NO! what regional position will SVG adapt? SVG should stay clean of the US plan to send rapists, killers and children molesters to the island.
Right now I believe folks should avoid visiting the US. The country has an internal war against visitors. At first I was critical of the Canadian Prime Minister of handling Trump. However, I am happy to see him showing other leaders how to handle Trump.
Why don’t Friday talk to Vincentians to see how they feel about this plan. The US military is killing it people because of the problem Trump created. We have enough murders already and we don’t nee more murderers. The NDP should talk to the people to find out how they feel about America’s plan.
Following that remark from Donald Trump about “shithole countries”, you just smile, accept it, and then go about your political dealings. But remember—he wasn’t referring to you!