Saturday, February 3, 2007

ROAD TOWN, BVI: Acting Chief Immigration Officer in the British Virgin Islands, Malvern Brathwaite, said immigration surveillance officers and members of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force are continuing their search to locate 27-year-old Coy Robinson of Jamaica after he evaded immigration officers at the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport and fled the airport compound last weekend.

Brathwaite said the man returned to the Territory on Sunday, January 28 after being denied entry the day before.

He said Robinson was denied entry because his permit had expired.

“He returned to the Territory on Sunday and when immigration officers were in the process of detaining him Robinson ran from the arrival hall of the terminal building onto the airport tarmac. He subsequently climbed over the perimeter fence of the airside tarmac and fled the area,” said Brathwaite.

The acting Chief Immigration Officer noted that the illegal migrant arrived in the Territory on Winair Flight 45 from St Maarten.

Members of the public with useful information on the whereabouts of Robinson are urged to contact either the Immigration Department or the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force.

This incident comes at a time when the BVI is in the process of introducing stronger immigration measures governing Jamaicans coming to the territory. Under the programme starting April 1, all Jamaicans coming to the BVI will be required to obtain a visa.

This will mean that immigration officials will have the opportunity to screen potential visitors to determine if they pose undue risk of violating the law or overstaying their visa.

Also during the past weekend on Saturday, January 27, Brathwaite said, immigration officers at the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport detained six Chinese nationals who tried to enter the Territory via Trinidad and Antigua on LIAT’s last flight that evening.

According to the acting Chief Immigration Officer, intelligence and immigration investigation revealed that the Chinese migrants intended to enter the US Virgin Islands illegally via the BVI. They were detained overnight, he said, and repatriated on Sunday, January 28.

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