Dominica’s immigration laws may soon be reviewed to address the challenges of illegal immigrants in the country. This was revealed by National Security and Home Affairs Minister Rayburn Blackmoore who stated that the revised law will be for non-citizens and citizens alike.
Blackmoore said this move is necessary in order to have a legal framework for dealing with the problems of illegal entrants into the island. He referenced an ongoing situation where 39 Haitians were arrested for attempting the leave the country through the back door, and another batch of 11 equally arrested by police for the same offense.
The offenders were arraigned in court to determine their deportation prospects.
“Take heed, that to date, 42 of the non-nationals who violated our laws have been ordered to be removed from our country and this is the right of the state to protect its borders and its people,” Blackmoore said.
According to the minister, this is not the first time people have been breaching the national borders of Dominica to enter or leave the country at will, but the country must now implement stricter measures to protect its people in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and to safeguard citizens against crimes from undocumented persons.
“The Commonwealth of Dominica like every other country in the world has the sovereign right to keep safe it’s most precious resource – its citizens,” Blackmoore stated. “Even before COVID-19, Dominica waged a constant battle with persons, including its own nationals, entering our shore illegally. But now, it’s a greater matter of concern with the advent of COVID-19…because the same people trafficking humans are the same who do the illegal firearms and drugs.”
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