Jamaicans account for 15 per cent of Antigua prison population, PM Browne says

Jamaicans account for about 15 per cent of the prison population in Antigua and Barbuda, according to Prime Minister Gaston Browne, who says his government is tightening immigration enforcement against people living or working in the country without legal status.

Browne made the disclosure on Sunday during his weekly radio programme, The Browne and Browne Show, as he addressed concerns about the growing number of non-national inmates and people overstaying their permitted time in Antigua and Barbuda.

“One of the things that we observed within the prison now is that the non-national population is growing. In fact, about 15 per cent of the prison population now comprises Jamaicans in particular,” Browne said.

He said the government does not currently intend to criminalise people solely for overstaying their immigration period, but warned that enforcement is being stepped up against those who remain without legal status or work illegally.

“We're not gonna criminalise individuals for (overstaying), at least not at this point, but we are tightening up on individuals who come into the country and stay here without time, work illegally and so on,” he said.

Browne said people affected by the measures have been given 60 days to regularise their immigration status and can also take advantage of an existing immigration amnesty programme.

However, he warned that those who fail to regularise their status could face deportation.

“If after giving all of these opportunities to them to regularise their status in the country and they fail to do so, well, they're at risk, for deportation,” Browne said.

The prime minister also raised concerns about non-nationals, particularly Jamaicans, who he said commit crimes in their home countries before travelling to Antigua and Barbuda.

He cited a recent case involving a non-national wanted for murder in Jamaica who was apprehended and deported.

“It was just about two weeks ago that we had a non-national who was wanted for murder in Jamaica that we had to deport, apprehend and deport,” Browne said.

He also referred to a Jamaican man who was arrested in Jennings last year in connection with a series of robberies.

“And, you recall, last year as well when the police took out this Jamaican guy in… Jennings who was involved in a spate of robberies,” he said.

Browne said such cases form part of what he described as a growing problem involving non-nationals living in Antigua and Barbuda outside the formal immigration system.

“Those cases represent a growing situation in which they are literally coming and living among us informally,” he said.

He further alleged that some of the individuals are involved in narcotics trafficking and said law enforcement has been instructed to identify and remove them.

“We definitely have to root them out of society because they're hardening up the place. I'm told a number of them are also involved in narco-trafficking. The instructions to law enforcement is to find them and for immigration to deport them,” the Antiguan prime minister said.

Browne said the government's approach is to give people an opportunity to regularise their immigration status, while taking action against those who fail to comply or are involved in criminal activity.

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