Arlington Musgrove, Minister of Immigration and Border Services for the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) stated that the government is not going to accept deportees from the United States or any other country who are not Turks and Caicos nationals.
He said this in reaction to rumors in the US media that the new Donald Trump administration was thinking about deporting certain migrants who couldn’t be sent back to their home countries, including the UK offshore territory, the Bahamas, Panama, and Grenada.
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Musgrove told Observer Online that no direct communication has yet been established between the president-elect and his team.
“We have not had contact with the administration, I don’t know if the UK has, but my government has not,” he stated.
The Bahamian Prime Minister’s office likewise issued a similar rejection on Thursday, stating that the government led by Phillip Davis had “reviewed and firmly rejected” approaches from the new administration.
Musgrove said the claimed scheme is alarming in a news statement.
“The unilateral imposition of third-country deportation policies, such as those reportedly under consideration by the incoming Trump administration, is fundamentally at odds with international norms and legal standards. We are deeply concerned about any suggestion of displacing individuals to countries with which they have no connection. Such policies disregard the cultural, social, and economic implications for receiving countries and the humanitarian impact on the individuals affected.”
Musgrove noted, “We remind all stakeholders that Turks and Caicos is already facing significant challenges managing irregular migration and the accompanying strain on our resources. We will not permit external policies to exacerbate these challenges, nor undermine or dictate our national security.”
Turks and Caicos, which is located just north of Haiti, is plagued by irregular migration from its French-speaking neighbors, which results in annual deportation expenses up to millions of US dollars.
According to Musgrove, the UK overseas territory still prioritizes diplomatic ties with the US, and a UK governor chosen on King Charles’ behalf overseas national security.
He noted, “our government remains committed to maintaining strong diplomatic relations with the United States and our other international partners. However, we are steadfast in our commitment to protecting the interests of the Turks and Caicos Islands and upholding the integrity of our immigration system. To be clear: The Turks and Caicos Islands will not participate in any program that seeks to forcibly relocate individuals here against their will, or ours.”
