Immigration laws need
to be widely publicised
PHILIPSBURG--There is a disconnection between the lawmakers and the executors, said National Alliance Island Council member George Pantophlet in a reaction to the most recent immigration problems involving children. He appealed for publication of the immigration laws.
Constitutional Affairs Commissioner Sarah Wescot-Williams too said that the Minister of Justice should make the immigration laws and regulations widely available.
“We all know of the two young children from the Dominican Republic who were refused entry by Immigration at the Airport, because they did not have their visas. I worked at the Immigration Department for many years and never knew of an exemption for children under 12 years of age,” said Pantophlet.
But, he said, apparently this was or is the case, meaning that there is a disconnection between the lawmakers and the executors. “It should be that immediately after any new laws have been established or amended, the ones responsible for carrying them out should be informed and this information made public as soon as possible.”
Pantophlet believes there is too much confusion and uncertainty, in general, where these matters are concerned, while it’s the general public that suffers. “We are told that everyone has to know the law. But, where can we go to get the information? I am asking the central and local governments to publish all relevant information pertaining to the issuance of visas. This will protect both government and people from unnecessary embarrassments.”
During Wednesdays Executive Council press briefing, Wescot-Williams said when referring to the same case of the two children from the Dominican Republic, that if officials acted in contravention of the law, that needed to be investigated on its own merits or demerits. “Fact is everyone needs to make sure that they are aware of the laws governing the Netherlands Antilles,” Wescot-Williams said.
She added that in the past, even though the law was there, individuals or groups were lenient with the law. “We need to become much more aware, especially if it touches us in terms of travel or children not having their papers, what the applicable laws are.”
It behoves the immigration authorities to make sure that those laws and application of those laws are clear, Wescot-Williams said, stressing that the Minister should make the information widely available.
