No one residing in a country that is not his or her original homeland likes to see or hear the above word. Correspondingly, no Government or people in a democratic society, respecting the rights and privileges of persons living among them, like to resort to deportation unless there is the type of misbehaviour and national threat that calls for such drastic action.

Here in Anguilla the crime of burglary is becoming a disgusting and perhaps dangerous situation. It is known that some of the non-belongers to whom we have extended the courtesy and accommodation of our island home are frequently responsible for some of the robberies causing the negative publicity.

The police have evidence that there are undesirable persons among our populace who are plundering businesses and residences and making off with valuable booty some, or all of it, to be sold on the black market. It is acknowledged that some of our own misguided young people engage themselves in acts of theft and are caught and prosecuted from time to time. No one can stomach or tolerate this any less than the crimes being committed by some of our Caribbean friends.

While we struggle to control the degenerating behaviour of some of our young people, we do not have to put up forever with acts of crime being perpetrated on our small, but developing society, by persons who are only sojourners and really care nothing about Anguilla.
Anguillians have travelled like nomads through the Caribbean and out of the region in search of employment to sustain their families in the difficult days. They have worked hard and contributed much to their island’s then remittance economy. They were well-behaved in the more prosperous societies in which they sojourned and thereby earned a good and proud reputation which still follows them today.

Now that a measure of prosperity has come our way, we are not selfish and are willing to share it with our brothers and sisters in the region in particular. All that is being asked of them is that they respect the integrity and good name of our island. We hasten to say that the majority of them live honourably and are quite resourceful, but among the roses are the thorns. It is to those thorny elements that this appeal is being made.

As the rapid development of Anguilla continues, and the need for outside labour increases, the law enforcement agencies must be given more power to deal with criminal activity and persons causing trouble. They must either behave and respect the laws of the land or be deported. It is found that some persons may be jailed for a few months after which they are set free only to repeat their crimes. Anguilla, its tourism investments and the goals of our revolution must be protected at all cost.

If deportation is a way out, then so be it.

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