Last Updated on January 30, 2025, 1:11 AM AST by Anthony Morris
The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) revealed on November 24, 2024, that 68 nationals of St. Kitts and Nevis feature among 1,445,549 individuals on its non-detained docket with final orders of removal. These people are awaiting deportation but are still in the US owing to various legal and logistical difficulties.
The non-detained docket features individuals who are not in detention facilities and need to report to immigration authorities periodically while waiting for their cases to reach a conclusion, either in a resolution or deportation. Their fates remain uncertain as of now.
The revelation has brought to the fore the potential impact of the Donald Trump Administration’s tough stance on deporting illegal immigrants from American soil to the Caribbean nations. At the same time, it has also highlighted the complexities that come with the enforcement of immigration policies, especially for individuals who are classified as “non-detained” with removal orders.
It is reported that for the 68 nationals from St. Kitts and Nevis, deportation challenges may include legal protections under international agreements such as the Convention Against Torture, administrative delays, and other factors.
The list of nationals with final orders of removal is part of a bigger immigration stance under Trump, who became the president of the US for the second time on January 20, 2025. He followed the same policy during his first tenure between 2017-21 and looks to build on that during his second tenure. The measures have only added to the backlog of cases involving non-detained individuals that are yet to be resolved.
Other Caribbean nationals on the list
Nationals from other Caribbean nations are also on the list. They include 5,120 from Jamaica, 1,236 from Guyana, 1,197 from Trinidad and Tobago, 899 from Belize, 426 from the Bahamas, 202 from St. Lucia, 151 from Barbados, 149 from Grenada, 127 from St. Vincent and Grenadines, 110 from Antigua and Barbuda and 104 from Dominica.
Governments in the Caribbean are closely monitoring the developments under the new administration in Washington DC, since deportations can result to serious economic and social implications for small island states.
Jamaica’s dominance in the list shows the size of its diaspora in the US. The presence of Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago’s 1,000-plus people on the list also indicated their strong representation in migration to the US. Other smaller Caribbean nations might have a lesser presence on the list but going by their size, the deportation of those many individuals could also be critical for their economies.
Nevisian Premier expressed concerns
Recently, Nevisian Premier Mark Brantley raised a serious concern about the developments and sought public opinion on possible outcomes of deportations.
The deportations, besides impacting families and communities, could also impact bilateral relations between the US and several Caribbean nations. They need to engage in dialogue with US officials to address the implications.
Advocacy groups have sought humane approaches to address immigration issues, emphasizing fair treatment and respect for human rights.
St. Kittitian and Nevisian people were removed from the US during Trump’s first administration as well (like 16 in 2017, 15 in 2018) and the Caribbean island-nation’s ambassador to the US, Dr Thelma Philippe-Browne, had encouraged her country’s nationals living in the US illegally to return to their homeland and help in national progress.
“Why be illegal in someone else’s country when you have your own,” she said.
She also sought international aid for St. Kitts and Nevis to help reintegrate and rehabilitate the involuntarily returned migrants, something Jamaica did with the help of the United Nations Development Programme.
How people reacted
People came up with varied responses to the latest report about deportations. While some said Trump did the right thing as any other country would have done the same, others criticized him and called him a ‘felon’. Others feared that the deportations could lead to ethnic confrontations in St. Kitts and Nevis and said the government was not addressing the issue yet. Some said the US was not deporting undocumented immigrants to Europe and mocked Trump’s deportation move as a purge to ‘make America White again’.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
