The St. Lucia government has reiterated a call for an international agreement to deal with the issue of criminal deportees, saying that the matter should be discussed at the level of the United Nations.
Prime Minister Allen Chastanet told reporters that he would do as much lobbying as he can on the matter and that the United States is using the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) agreement to deport people to their countries of origin.
“I am pretty sure that when we signed the ICAO agreement it was not with that in mind,” he said, adding that the intent was that if someone visited another country with incorrect documentation, the country of origin would be obligated to receive the person back.
“But the fact that somebody would go and spend in excess of 30 years in a country, make it a home, pay taxes, become legal in some cases – all those things and then all of a sudden simply because you were born in St. Lucia that all of a sudden you would repatriate them.
Chastanet said that Castries was told that if it did not accept the deportees, travel for locals would be “pulled”.
He said while he has indicated to the America authorities that he is not pleased with the threat, he would honour the current system.
However, Chastanet said he would continue to lobby for an international treaty to deal with the situation and explained that he was concerned that someone who left this country at two years old, spent their childhood and adult life overseas, committed a crime and is repatriated.
