Consulate calls
for grace period
~ Says Dominicanos most affected by raids ~
PHILIPSBURG--Consul of the Dominican Republic in St. Maarten Doris Elsa Vasquez Martinez has called on the authorities here to institute some form of grace period to legalise immigrants who have been residing on the island for lengthy periods. She has also called for a solution to the island’s immigration problems.
Martinez said Sunday that while the Consulate respected the laws on admission and expulsion, it had some serious concerns about undocumented workers, particularly those from the Dominican Republic, who ended up being affected by raids, in some cases through no fault of their own.
She said immigrant workers, documented or not, contributed heavily to the island’s economy and if their labour were to be removed, St. Maarten’s economy and its vital tourism sector would be severely affected.
She said many nationals of the Dominican Republic who were on the island illegally were simply victims of their employers. Martinez said the Consulate had received numerous reports from citizens of the Dominican Republic who lived here that their employers had been deducting monies from their salaries to file for their employment permits which the workers never received.
She said this was not fair to the workers and was something the authorities should look into. “It is necessary to find a solution. We need to work together to find a solution, but this is not happening right now.”
She proposed that a meeting be held with Dutch and French Government officials and the foundations representing the various nationalities residing in St. Maarten, to hammer out a solution to the problems affecting immigrants.
She also said that while it might be necessary for authorities to carry out raids, there were many undocumented immigrants who had been working and contributing to the economy for many years.
She said the Consulate was cognisant of the fact that a large number of undocumented immigrants on the island were from the Dominican Republic and were most likely to be affected by the increased raids in the community. Figures from the Census Office show that Dominican Republic nationals constitute the second largest immigrant group in St. Maarten, after the Haitian community.
Martinez said the Consulate had called on authorities to address the immigration problems affecting its citizens during previous La Semana Dominicana celebrations over the past two years, but while promises had been made, so far there had been no real solution.
St. Maarten, Martinez said, is not the only territory with immigration problems. She said many immigrants from Haiti flocked to the Dominican Republic, the United States and other territories looking for employment.
She said repatriating persons who were gainfully employed would not serve St. Maarten well, as many immigrants, including those who were undocumented, supported the economy through their employment, by shopping in supermarkets and by using the money transfer services. She said the island’s tourism and other sectors would be severely affected if it weren’t for the labour of immigrants in the respective sectors.
She also said continued raids would only serve to break up families, as in many cases legally registered and undocumented persons were residing in the same households.
