By Travis Chase | HGP Nightly News |
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — The political fallout surrounding the Government of Guyana’s bilateral arrangement with the United States to accept third-country deportees is intensifying, with the Alliance For Change (AFC) demanding the immediate, unconditional publication of the bilateral pact and calling for an emergency debate in the National Assembly.
The opposition party’s demand comes after reports revealed that the first cohort of non-Guyanese deportees—comprising Cuban and Afghan nationals—arrived in Guyana last week under an unannounced agreement between the administration of President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali and the United States Government.
Secrecy, Parliamentary Bypassing, and Sovereignty
The AFC criticized the executive branch for keeping the negotiations hidden from the Guyanese public and the parliamentary opposition, despite government admissions that bilateral talks had been underway for months:
- Executive Secrecy: The AFC expressed grave alarm that citizens only learned of the arrangement through international press reports after foreign nationals were already on Guyanese soil.
- Circumventing the National Assembly: The party argued that any agreement carrying far-reaching ramifications for immigration policy, national sovereignty, border integrity, and public safety must be placed before the National Assembly for legislative review rather than executed through backroom diplomacy.
- Transparency Demanded: While recognizing the necessity of constructive international diplomacy, the AFC stated that national security commitments must never be traded away without public accountability.
“Come clean with the Guyanese people,” the party urged in a public statement. “An arrangement with profound implications for immigration, national sovereignty, and security cannot be negotiated and implemented behind closed doors without the knowledge or consent of the people of Guyana.”
Questions Over IOM Involvement and Long-Term Resettlement Risks
Beyond the constitutional legitimacy of the secret negotiations, the AFC raised operational and humanitarian questions regarding the legal status and management of the arrivals:
- Role of the IOM: The party called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Ministry of Home Affairs to confirm the operational role of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in housing, processing, and monitoring the individuals.
- Asylum and Permanent Settlement Risks: Although official briefings indicate the bilateral deal spans an initial one-year duration and does not formally grant permanent citizenship or automatic resettlement, the AFC questioned what mechanisms exist to prevent these individuals from claiming permanent asylum or disappearing into the domestic population once the one-year window expires.
- Precedent of Third-Country Expulsions: The arrival of the six foreign nationals marks Guyana’s direct integration into expanded third-country removal programs orchestrated by the United States, raising questions regarding whether additional cohorts from conflict zones will follow.
The AFC maintains that until the executive tables the signed text in Parliament, the administration remains in violation of the principles of open governance, democratic oversight, and constitutional transparency.
