Give Me My Passport

[Exile]

GIVE ME MY PASSPORT

Jamaican woman caught working illegally in T&T wants to go back home; begs Immigration to return travel document

By Joel Julien joel.julien@trinidadexpress.com


Story Created: Dec 6, 2013 at 9:36 PM ECT
Story Updated: Dec 6, 2013 at 11:09 PM ECT

“I WANT to go home”.

This is the plea of Jamaican national Tamika Williams, who claimed on Thursday that members of the Trinidad and Tobago Immigration Division have confiscated her passport.
It is the latest tale in the ongoing conflict between local immigration officials following the deportation of 13 Jamaican nationals from this country last month.
Williams, 27, from St Elizabeth in Jamaica, arrived on June 17 for vacation.
She was granted a six-month stay, ending December 16.
Williams, who does cosmetology and hair-dressing in Jamaica, was expected to leave the country next Monday.
She bought a ticket and was happy to see her two sons, Jamario, four, and Omario, ten. Then Williams ran afoul of the law.
In late October, Williams was among five other immigrants found working illegally at a gas station in Chaguanas during a raid conducted by immigration officials.
Williams and the four others were taken to the Chaguanas Police Station.
Their passports and other documents were confiscated. They slept in a cell that night.
On November 4, Williams and the four others appeared before a Chaguanas magistrate. They all pleaded guilty to working without the requisite permission.
They were all fined $700 to be paid immediately or face three months jail time.
The magistrate said they were free to go.
Immigration officials intervened, however, and asked that the five carry receipt of the payment to the immigration office in San Fernando.
Williams said this country’s immigration officials have since not returned their passports because they are all “under observation”.
They have returned to the office every week to retrieve the documents to no avail.
Their last visit was last week Tuesday.
They are scheduled to return on December 12, days after her planned flight, Williams said on Thursday.
“I don’t know why they are doing this. I came her legally. I worked, which I know was wrong but I just want to go home now. I want to see my sons,” she said.
“They are just being wicked. I have a ticket to leave, just give me my passport and let me leave,” Williams.
Williams slammed the Jamaican High Commission in Trinidad for its inability to help in the situation.
“They are here to serve us and if they cannot help then who can help?” she asked.
Contacted yesterday for comment, an officer at the Immigration Department, Coffee Street, San Fernando he was aware of the case involving Williams, but was not authorised to speak about the issue.
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Dookeran travelled to Jamaica earlier this week in the wake of the turning away of 13 Jamaican nationals at Piarco International Airport on November 19.
Following the visit, Dookeran said he was optimistic the diplomatic intervention had “cooled the waters” and prevented the “stresses and strains” between Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica from spilling over into other areas of their economic relationship, especially in trade.
Dookeran held consultations with Jamaican officials there, led by Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arnold J Nicholson, on the free movement of Jamaicans into Trinidad and Tobago within the context of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME).

[Karl]

What the hell is happening here?

[Jangle]

Time we start rounding up and start kicking people out

[Mosiah]

I was right about those...all along!

[Historian]

Re: What the hell is happening here?

What the hell is happening here?

I was thinking the same thing when I read the Trinidad Express early this morning.

On one level, it is quite simple: Many Jamaicans go into other countries and break their laws by working illegally. She should not have been working in that service station without a work permit, and so quite naturally she was arrested.

But hold it!! (On the other hand) if the woman has satisfied the usual punitive punishment (in this case a fine of $700), then why has her passport not been returned to her? Respecting the rights of others and recognizing the authority of the courts is how civilized nations governed by laws are expected to act. There can be no excuse or legal justification whatsoever for T&T’s immigration department holding on to the woman’s passport, once the ruling of the court has been met! Or was it not met ?

But then again, with a myopic pacifist such as AJ Nicholson in the foreign affairs chair, nothing is expected to happen as T&T ploughs and tramples its way across all entities emanating from Jamaica (visitors, hot patties, etc.)! And the Jamaican High Commission has been in the news for the wrong reasons several times since the start of this year. In fact, what exactly do the Jamaican diplomats do there? Drink wine with the social elites and plan their permanent stay in T&T once their duty is over?

[Historian]

Yes, You Were!

I was right about those...all along!

Yes, it seems you were right about the Trinis all along, boss.

[Exile]

There you go with faulty generalizations again. Mosiah is a lost cause as well. This reflects government issues hence the broad brush is disingenuous.Do you think ALL Trinis support the foolishness?

[Peter R]

I was thinking the same thing when I read the Trinidad Express early this morning.

On one level, it is quite simple: Many Jamaicans go into other countries and break their laws by working illegally. She should not have been working in that service station without a work permit, and so quite naturally she was arrested.

But hold it!! (On the other hand) if the woman has satisfied the usual punitive punishment (in this case a fine of $700), then why has her passport not been returned to her? Respecting the rights of others and recognizing the authority of the courts is how civilized nations governed by laws are expected to act. There can be no excuse or legal justification whatsoever for T&T’s immigration department holding on to the woman’s passport, once the ruling of the court has been met! Or was it not met ?

But then again, with a myopic pacifist such as AJ Nicholson in the foreign affairs chair, nothing is expected to happen as T&T ploughs and tramples its way across all entities emanating from Jamaica (visitors, hot patties, etc.)! And the Jamaican High Commission has been in the news for the wrong reasons several times since the start of this year. In fact, what exactly do the Jamaican diplomats do there? Drink wine with the social elites and plan their permanent stay in T&T once their duty is over?

Historian,

What ELSE do you think they do? Exile might have a different opinion of this, as might Jamaican students at UWI , ST. Augustine, otherwise, these diplomatic posts are cushy rewards, resulting from political nepotism in many instances (not all).

The problem with these reports however, is that all the facts are not presented and so we are left with more questions than answers as you clearly realize based on what you wrote in the third paragraph of your post.

[Exile]

Peter_R, I don't understand how you lump with UWI students at St. Augustine? My only connection are those with past students who may be colleagues etc. or those graduates who I hire, sometimes against my better judgement.

Fact is, generally, these foreign outposts do not do anything much for it's resident citizens - certainly from historical anecdotal information. We should however, separate the professional foreign service workers from political appointees. Not all are bad though...either group.

[Mosiah]

Exile, of course not all Trinis support the crap. But I would say 9 out of 8 do!

[Karl]

Historian,

What ELSE do you think they do? Exile might have a different opinion of this, as might Jamaican students at UWI , ST. Augustine, otherwise, these diplomatic posts are cushy rewards, resulting from political nepotism in many instances (not all).

The problem with these reports however, is that all the facts are not presented and so we are left with more questions than answers as you clearly realize based on what you wrote in the third paragraph of your post.

They are cushy...but there is much work to be done while enjoying the perks. - Selling our country - trade, tourism, etc. & representing our nationals as needed e.g. this lady needed intervention and resolution of her troubles by our chief resident diplomat !!!

[Gamma]

Thanks for this

[Exile]

Mi no know who use to teach yu stats a school.

[Peter R]

Not lumping you with students, you will have your opinion...AND they as a group might have something to say about the High Commish too.

[Willi]

Strict reciprocity…like Brazil.