St Lucia prepares to receive first third-country deportees from the United States
Foreign Minister Alva Baptiste says the island will accept up to 10 non-nationals a quarter under a two-year agreement, with funding questions still unresolved.
CASTRIES, St Lucia. St Lucia is preparing this week to accept its first group of non-national deportees from the United States under Washington's controversial third-country deportation programme.
Foreign Minister Alva Baptiste told reporters that five men and one woman would make up the first group, which he described as a "guinea pig" group.
Some regional governments have accused the US of forcing their hand through pressure such as restrictions on tourist visas, imposed at the end of last year, and recently introduced visa bonds of up to US$20,000 for applicants.
Ten a quarter
Baptiste said the bilateral agreement will see St Lucia accept 10 non-nationals every quarter, although concerns remain about funding for their accommodation and other logistics.
He said authorities were relying on the International Organization for Migration (IOM), working with sub-committees from his ministry and the immigration department.
"It's almost a pilot project for us," he said. "This is all new to us. And we are going to grapple with it. And we are not going to be secretive about that situation at all."
"We have communicated the financial requirements to the US in terms of us implementing that particular program. So, it's premature to say to you that it's not going to cost or it's going to cost X or Y or Z," he added.
The programme will run for two years before being reviewed. Officials said the quarterly limit of 10 would apply whether or not the group was a single family.
Regional picture
Jamaica, Guyana, Dominica and Grenada are among other regional states that have signed deportee agreements with the US or are in advanced negotiations.
Baptiste said months of talks had produced the pact. "There was a long gestation period where we were discussing with the US what we can afford to do and what we cannot afford to do," he said.
In Antigua, officials have complained about what they see as Washington's take-it-or-leave-it approach. Prime Minister Gaston Browne has likened it to superpower bullying and linked visa restrictions to Antigua's resistance to taking large numbers.
