(WINN) — “Why bring them back when they are likely to smuggle out of the country again,” said Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Hon. Gaston Browne in an article on Point Express.
The Prime Minister was referencing the 14 migrants and two Antiguans rescued after a boat capsized off the coast of St. Kitts en route from Antigua to St Thomas, USVI, on March 28, 2023.
In a release from the Ministry of National Security, the government of St Kitts and Nevis said it “continues to pursue workable and diplomatic solutions as it is duty bound so to do.”
Prime Minister Browne’s administration has since reneged on the previous arrangement to have 14 migrants sent back to Antigua and Barbuda.
In the Point Express article, Browne said he had no intention of accepting the 14 migrants who left the country, saying;
“How do you feel about us taking them back? We want to treat them humanely. Our challenge is that they have claimed that sending them back to Cameroon would likely result in their death, but I am thinking, for those who have already left our shores, the question is, why bring them back when they are likely to smuggle out of the country again?”
The Antiguan Prime Minister has since asked the French ambassador for assistance from France to get the Cameroonians back to their native land.
Recently nine of the 16 detainees escaped the detention facility, with all but one, Nicolas Santana Areche, back in police custody. Areche is a citizen of Antigua and a Dominican Republic native who is still missing.
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Mr Prime Minister, you had an open goal and fluffed your chance. Would it not have been more to the point if you had said ‘we were hospitable to you yet you abused our hospitality by choosing to illegally leave our shores for another place, therefore you are no longer welcomed to our domain’? Full stop. End of story. Not wanting them back because ‘ they might smuggle out again’ is tantamount to saying if they promise not to try and smuggle themselves out again we will have them back. Please!
People, let us all take a time out to laugh at Gaston Clown 🤡.
He is so, so funny.
MR.GASTON BROWNE , YOU ARE NOTHING ELSE BUT A DUTTY GUTTER SNIPE, WHEN ANY SITUATION MAKES YOU AND YOUR GOVERNMENT LOOK BAD YOU WOULD BLAME IT ON THE OPPOSITION.
I CAN RECALL YOU SAYING THE CAMEROONIANS LEFT BECAUSE THE OPPOSITION WAS HOSTILE TOWARDS THEM , THOSE WERE YOUR WORDS MR.BROWNE!
THE MORNING AFTER THE INCIDENT YOU, MR. GASTON GUTTER SNIPE BROWNE CAME OUT AND SAID ‘ ANTIGUA WILL ACCEPT AND BURY THE DEAD, AND ANTIGUA WILL ACCEPT THE 14 SURVIVORS, THOSE WERE YOUR SPOKEN WORDS MR. BROWNE.
YOU THOUGHT ST.KITTS WOULD HAVE HANDED THEM OVER WITHOUT QUESTIONING THEM, THAT’S WHY YOU WANTED THEM BACK SO QUICK, AND I BELIEVE THAT YOU GASTON BROWNE EITHER HAVE KNOWLEDGE OR WERE TOLD THAT THE 14 CAMEROONIANS SPILLED THEIR GUTS IN ST. KITTS AND TALKED AND THAT IS WHY I BELIEVE YOU ARE NOW PUNISHING THEM BY REFUSING TO TAKE THEM BACK.
MR. BROWNE THIS IS YOUR STATEMENT AND I QUOTE ”
I have no intention of accepting the 14 migrants who left the country, saying;
“How do you feel about us taking them back? We want to treat them humanely. Our challenge is that they have claimed that sending them back to Cameroon would likely result in their death, but I am thinking, for those who have already left our shores, the question is, why bring them back when they are likely to smuggle out of the country again?”
MR.BROWNE YOU KNOW FROM THE BEGINNING THAT ANTIGUA WAS NOT THEIR FINAL DESTINATION, DON’T PRETEND THAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW, YOU WERE TOLD BY YOUR IMMIGRATION OFFICERS THAT 4 OF THE AFRICANS HAD TWO DIFFERENT PASSPORTS, ONE CAMEROONIAN PASSPORT AND ONE KENYAN PASSPORT, AND THEY WERE IN DIFFERENT NAMES, YET STILL THAT DID NOT SET OFF A RED FLAG FOR YOU AND YOUR GOVERNMENT, YOU ALLOWED THEM TO LAND IN ANTIGUA STILL.
QUESTION TO YOU MR.GASTON BROWNE :
THE 4 AFRICANS THAT HAD TWO DIFFERENT PASSPORTS, HOW ARE YOU SO SURE THAT THE NAMES IN THOSE PASSPORTS ARE ACTUALLY THEIR REAL NAMES?
WE KNEW 4 OF THEM HAD A CAMEROONIAN AND A KENYAN PASSPORT , AND EACH PASSPORT HAD TWO DIFFERENT NAMES WITH THEIR PHOTOGRAPH .
MY QUESTION TO YOU AGAIN MR.GASTON BROWNE,
DO YOU KNOW WHO THOSE 4 AFRICANS REALLY ARE?
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THIS IS A MAN WHO TOLD THE OPPOSITION DURING THE ELECTION THAT NONE OF THEM IS CAPABLE OF RUNNING THE COUNTRY BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE A DEGREE, WELL WELL FOR A PERSON WHO LIKE TO BRAG AND BOAST ABOUT WHO HAVE AND WHO DO NOT HAVE A DEGREE GASTON GUTTER SNIPE BROWNE IS THE DUMBEST PERSON WHO CLAIMS TO HAVE A DEGREE.
AND FOR THE RECORD GASTON BROWNE NEVER, EVER ATTENDED COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY.
HE NEVER SAT IN A CLASSROOM IN A COLLEGE OR A UNIVERSITY EITHER,THESE ARE THE FACTS..
GASTON BROWNE DID COLLEGE COURSES, WHETHER IT’S ONLINE OR NOT
THESE ARE THE FACTS.
What has happened to the great love for our African brothers and sisters? Mr. Prime Minister your position is contradictory and nonsensical. Please rethink your position. You also recently argued that the Camaroonians who came here are more educated than many of us. What has caused you to change your position? The nation needs an honest answer from you.
School children say that right now the Foreign Affairs minister and Ambassador D.J and some pilot guy are in Nigeria negotiating with Mr.Marvelous Mike. Mr.Mike please don’t dupe them again.
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