Illegal entry

FLORIDA:

The recent arrest of seven Jamaicans by police in Pompano Beach, Florida, has again shone the spotlight on a decades-old scheme that has been used by Jamaicans and other Caribbean nationals to enter the United States illegally.

The Jamaicans were among 14 immigrants who were allegedly travelling from Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago and the Dominican Republic. Reports are that there were several women aboard the shanty vessel, and at least two of the migrants were children.

Illegal immigrants who are caught almost always express the view that they were ‘in search of a better life’. However, when caught by the US Border Patrol and handed over to the custody of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, life can be hell.

The penalty for illegal entry into the US is six months and a fine or both while persons who are held re-entering the country illegally will be subject to a two-year prison term and a fine. Offenders will face deportation after completion of the sentence imposed.

Jamaica’s consul general for the Southern US, Oliver Mair, urged Jamaicans with the intention of entering the US by illegal means to think twice as ‘the grass is not always greener on the other side’.

“We have to encourage our nationals to fall in line with the law and obey the laws of both Jamaica and the US. When you are caught, we cannot provide legal representation and you will be locked up,” Mair said.

However, the consulate does look out for Jamaican citizens who are in US custody on a humanitarian level.

“We will always ensure that due process takes place. If an inmate cannot contact a lawyer or relative, has health concerns or any other humanitarian concerns, we are always there to assist. However, the law of the land supersedes everything. During our visits to facilities, we have spoken to persons who have expressed remorse and said, if they had the chance, they would not have done it,” Mair told The Gleaner.

But there are many other dangers to be faced before setting foot on US soil illegally, and even if an immigrant manages to escape the law enforcement dragnet.

REQUISITE DOCUMENTATION

Oral Williams * has lived in the US for upwards of 15 years. He is now a documented citizen who goes about life without fear of looking over his shoulder in fear of being nabbed by ICE agents.

But life has not always been sweet and rosy for Williams.

Williams was the only child of five to have been denied legal immigration to the US after a mandatory DNA test revealed that he was not the child of the man he called father and who had gained legal status in America and filed for his children.

Williams eventually made contact with relatives abroad and was given instructions to make his way to the Bahamas.

The Bimini islands are the westernmost part of the Bahamas Islands and 50 miles off the coast of Florida. It has been a transshipment point for Caribbean nationals hopeful of entering the US without the requisite documentation, and boat owners charge hefty fees to transport them across the choppy seas in the dead of night, hoping to evade the vessels of the US Coast Guard.

Oral* was one of those ‘illegal’ immigrants in 2005.

“When I went to meet the man who would carry me over, his instructions were clear: shut my mouth and do as I was told. I was put in a room with other people. Some came from Haiti. We only stayed for a few hours until we got instructions to board the vessel at minutes after three in the morning,” he said.

Oral* said the trip was uneventful for the most part until he started seeing the lights of the Florida coastline.

“Then the real truth started to set in. The man’s accomplice pulled out a long gun and asked which one of us could swim. There were about 10 of us on the boat. About four people answered in the affirmative, as the boat reached about a mile from shore those persons were forced to jump off and told to swim in. I could not swim so good so I started shaking and wondering if this was how I was going to die. A few minutes later, the man killed the engine and started ordering everyone to jump off the boat at gunpoint. The shoreline was some distance away. I had no choice. It was either try to swim or be shot. I jumped overboard,” he said.

After battling away, Oral* finally reached a point where he could walk to land and made his way into what he then believed was the ‘land of milk and honey’.

But his troubles had just begun.

An illegal immigrant is undocumented in the US and has no legal status to work. This means most work under the radar for less than the minimum wage and cannot legally apply for a driver’s licence or rent a home, and can be arrested by ICE agents who carry out raids regularly.

After doing a variety of odd jobs, sleeping on the street and going hungry Oral*, finally acquired legal status and is now a certified nursing assistant (CNA).

He also had words of caution for others who are planning to enter the US illegally.

“I have been through rough times and I would not encourage anybody to take the chances I took. I have seen many persons get arrested and deported with only the clothes on their backs after spending years here,” he said.

* Name changed to protect identity.

editorial@gleanerjm.com