The St. Lucia’s Prime Minister Allan Chastanet is making another call for an international agreement to deal with the issue of criminal deportees, saying the matter should be discussed at the level of the United Nations.
He told reporters recently that he would do as much lobbying as he can on the matter and has accused the United States of using the International Civil Organization (ICAO) agreement to deport people to their country of origin.
“I am sure that that when we signed the ICAO agreement it was not with that in mind,” he said, adding that the intent was that if someone visited another country with incorrect documentation, the country of origin would be obligated to receive the person back. But the fact that somebody would go and spend in excess of 30 years in a country, make it a home, pay taxes, become legal in some cases and then all of a sudden simply because you were born in St. Lucia that all of a sudden you would expatriate them,” the prime minister said.
Chastanet said there was a need to push collectively at the United Nations to get special international agreement to deal with deportees.
Earlier this year, Chastanet had accused Washington of threatening St. Lucia into accept nationals deported from the North American country.
He said Castries was told that if did not accept the deportees, travel for locals would be “pulled.”
The prime minister said while he indicated to the American authorities that he is not pleased with the threat, he would honor the current system.
