By
CMC News
Antigua’s main opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) says it will on Tuesday stage protest action against the government’s decision to legalize the status of hundreds of African migrants who travelled to the island late last year from West Africa.
The Cabinet last week said it had discussed the treatment to be meted out to the visitors who arrived on charters from West Africa.
“The Cabinet examined the circumstances under which the Antigua Airways flights were conceived and originated. The passengers were to be well-off citizens of Nigeria and neighboring countries who wished to travel to the Caribbean as tourists,” a statement issued following the Cabinet meeting noted.
It said a well-established carrier known as Air Peace had made a request to commence a regular service between Nigeria and Antigua, but the carrier chose to fly to Jamaica instead since the East Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCAA) license for Antigua Airways was taking “a long time.
“The Cabinet was informed that the visitors remaining in Antigua can be located in several small hotels and guest houses across the island. An offer to return them to their country is to be made, though many are likely to choose to stay, it was reported. Some arrangement may likely be made to ensure that their status is legal,” the Cabinet statement added.
The UPP, which lost the January 18 general election by a nail-biting 9-8 margin, said the protest action will be held outside the Office of the Prime Minister on Tuesday.
“In Antigua and Barbuda, the people are facing a terrible human trafficking tragedy imposed on our West African brothers and sisters [from] Nigeria and Cameroon, and the United Progressive Party thinks that a lot of exploitation has happened in this case,” said UPP candidate and radio talk show host, Franz DeFreitas.
“We believe that the solution to the self-imposed problem of the [Antigua Barbuda Labour Party] … is something that the people should not live with and cannot tolerate,” he added.
In a statement, last week, the UPP questioned the decision made by the government and cited national security concerns as well as the implications for the labour market.
DeFreitas said while the UPP has no issues with providing solutions to the issue, claims of insensitivity to the plights of the West African migrants were unfounded, adding “there are better ways to address the issue”.
Information Minister Melford Nicholas told a post-Cabinet press conference that an estimated 911 persons had arrived on different charter flights from Nigeria and 274 have since left the country.
CMC/