The Republic of The Gambia is infamously occupying position number 11 on the list of nearly two dozen ‘recalcitrant’ countries identified by the United States department for Homeland Security. ‘Recalcitrant’ is a term referring to “refusal by home countries to take back their own citizens who are identified as illegal immigrants and therefore due for deportation.” This disturbing revelation was made by Jessica Vaughan, policy studies director at the Center for Immigration Studies as quoted in the Washington Times.
"The problem of countries refusing to take back their own citizens has been around for years, but it came into sharp focus earlier this year when a Haitian man was convicted of killing a young woman in Connecticut. That man, Jean Jacques, had previously served time for attempted murder but was out on U.S. streets because Haiti wouldn’t take him back, saying it questioned whether he really was Haitian. That’s the same excuse given in tens of thousands of other cases where home countries refuse to take back their citizens - including The Gambia."
So as result of The Gambia refusing to accept nearly 2,000 people the U.S. is trying to deport, the Obama administration has finally decided to pull the trigger and will deny visas to some Gambians hoping to visit the U.S., the State Department said Saturday. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson took the decisive move after years of prodding by lawmakers on Capitol Hill, signing a letter triggering the law that requires a halt in visas to countries that are refusing to accept their own citizens. Under the law the State Department had no choice but to comply (The Washington Times).
The move according to the Washington Times was first revealed by Sen. Charles E. Grassley, who said it was about time the administration targeted someone. He said he hopes more countries face the same punishment if they don’t begin to cooperate, and he said if The Gambia doesn’t straighten out, he hopes the U.S. broadens the visa sanctions to more than the government. “It’s time we make clear to these nations that blocking U.S. deportation efforts by refusing to take back their citizens has consequences,” said Mr. Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee (The Washington Times)
A State Department official is quoted in the same newspaper saying; “As of October 1, 2016, the U.S. Embassy in Banjul, The Gambia has discontinued visa issuance to employees of the Gambian government, employees of certain entities associated with the government, and their spouses and children, with limited exceptions.” The law appears to call for an even broader response - the denial of visas to all Gambian citizens. But stripping government officials and their families of visas is still a powerful lever, the official said.
Source: The Washington Times.
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