Prime Minister Freundel Stuart interacting with ‘Unique Helping Hand’ Summer Campers during their visit to Ilaro Court yesterday.
Raul Garcia’s fate being carefully weighed
8/28/2012
Prime Minister Freundel Stuart says that he is carefully examining the options that currently exist with respect to the future of Cuban Raúl García, who remains at Her Majesty’s Prison Dodds.
He told the media yesterday morning that at present, there are two options before him for consideration in his capacity as Minister with responsibility for immigration matters, but he said that both have to be considered in the context of what is best for the national security of this country.
García, who was convicted and served time for cocaine-related offences, remains at the Dodds prison despite his initially release because of complications associated with his immigration status.
“...The truth is, let’s not pretend here – the nature of the offence for which he was convicted is an offence that has grave implications, or would have had grave implications for Barbados had he not been nabbed and prosecuted and so on and one always has to be very careful that one does not delude oneself into believing that some miraculous change has taken place, and that sinners have overnight become saints,” he said.
The Prime Minister added, “I intend no injustice to Mr. García, but I just have to make sure that the national security of Barbados is properly protected and that is where it is. I have the discretion and that discretion is going to be exercised reasonably, but whenever it is exercised, it is going to be exercised with all national security considerations having been taken into account.”
Stuart revealed that the options being contemplated at this time include placing García in accommodation provided for by Government, where he can be held in a manner consistent with what the Government considers to be safe and doing no violence to national security considerations. The second is a suggestion made by representations from his attorney-at-law, David Commissiong, that private arrangements could be made for Garcia to be accommodated at a private residence in rural Barbados.
Prime Minister Stuart explained that submissions from Commissiong indicate that a rural family is prepared to accommodate him, at no cost to the Government, and they are prepared to do so on such terms as are satisfactory to the Prime Minister.
Stuart added that the problem with finding somewhere to house Garcia exists because this country does not have any facilities outside of the prison to hold a subject of immigration considerations, for as long as the prison has had to hold García.
“...We never contemplated having to face this situation. Normally when we have these challenges, we hold someone at the airport because we know where we are going to send them. This is one situation where we don’t know where we are going to send Mr. García,” the PM explained.
He noted, “We are having some difficulty in finding a country that would take Mr. García. Mr. García is a Cuban national, but Cuban law does not allow Cuba in the present circumstances to take Mr. García. He has been connected to the United States of America; they are not pushing everybody aside to take him. He has had connections with Colombia, they are not enthusiastic about taking him [and] so he is here in Barbados.”
With that in mind, the Prime Minister sought to clarify that referring to García as a “stateless citizen” was not strictly correct. He said that while it may be factually correct, in legal terms it is not, because under international law the definition of a stateless person is a person who has not been convicted of a serious criminal offence and that definition cannot be applied to García. (JRT)
