In the face of mounting and persistent criticism, National Security Minister Martin Joseph yesterday cancelled the rejection order that had been issued banning US political strategist, Bernard Campbell, from entering this country.
Campbell, who was working with the United National Congress, had been deported last Friday, under a section of the Immigration Act which deemed him to be an ’undesirable’.
There was a huge outcry against the move, with international relations experts suggesting that there could be implications for Trinidad and Tobago/United States diplomatic relations.
Government, however, yesterday announced that it had resiled from its original position, and had ’immediately’ removed the ban, paving the way for Campbell’s return.
In a release, the Ministry of National Security claimed that Campbell’s declaration on his initial entry to the country on April 15 that he was here ’on business’ was ’at variance’ with his being introduced to the media as the person heading the campaign of UNC leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar. Legal sources, however, said that Campbell’s hiring out his business services as a political consultant was not at variance with him being introduced as a campaign strategist.
The Ministry of National Security release stated that ’the disclosure by the Opposition Leader that Mr Campbell was here to work was at variance with his official declaration that he was here on business. Upon recognising this discrepancy, the Chief Immigration Officer on April 19, 2010, wrote to Ernie Ross Advertising (the entity charged with contracting Mr Campbell’s firm) to attend a meeting later that day with immigration officials ... to clarify Mr Campbell’s immigration status. However, Mr Campbell left the jurisdiction on the morning of the 19th so Mr Ross attended the meeting without Mr Campbell’.
When Campbell attempted to re-enter the country last Thursday, he was detained and deported the next morning.
Yesterday, UNC Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar stated that the Government’s decision to lift the rejection order coincided with the dispatch of a letter to the ministry by her threatening legal action.
In her letter, Persad-Bissessar stated: ’My client has been adversely affected by your decision that there was reliable information or advice that my client was an ’undesirable’ visitor. Section 16 of the Judicial Review Act, 2000, obliges you to provide my client with a statement of reasons for this decision and the consequent prohibition of my client’s entry into this country. In the circumstances, I must call upon you to comply with your obligations under the Judicial Review Act and render a proper, adequate and intelligible statement of reasons to me within seven days of the date of this letter.’
She added that Mr Campbell was not contemplating litigation ’at this time, preferring instead to rely upon your commitment and duty as a public officer to uphold the laws of the land’.
Sources at the ministry said Government’s decision to remove the rejection order had absolutely nothing to do with Persad-Bissessar’s letter threatening legal action. Sources said the ministry called Persad-Bissessar and the Charge D’Affaires of the United States Embassy in Port of Spain, Len Kusnitz, and informed them of the decision at around 11.30 a.m., prior to receiving Persad-Bissessar’s letter, which arrived at around 12.15 p.m.
Asked for a comment on Government’s decision, US Public Affairs Officer Matthew Cassetta said yesterday that the Embassy was still in discussions with the ministry and he was not at liberty to disclose the nature of those discussions.
Joseph last Friday had denied signing the deportation order. But the act under which Campbell was deported states that the section prohibits from entry, ’any person who from information or advice which in the opinion of the Minister of National Security is likely to be an undesirable inhabitant of, or visitor to Trinidad and Tobago’.
Speaking at Balisier House, Port of Spain, yesterday evening Joseph confirmed the ministry’s latest decision, saying his ministry had also informed the UNC of what it needs to do to ensure that Campbell can carry out his work in Trinidad and Tobago in future.
’What we have done is that we have informed his prospective employer what it needs to do in order to make sure that he can properly operate in the country,’ Joseph said.
Apart from cancelling the restricting order, Joseph said, ’We will do the necessary thing as it relates to allow him to legitimately come in to do whatever function he is required to perform. We expect that will happen in short order.’
Asked why he was denied entry in the first place, Joseph said, ’I indicated the circumstances under which Mr Campbell came into the country was not in keeping, strictly speaking, with the laws of Trinidad and Tobago ... It was quite clear that the circumstances under which Mr Campbell came into the country was not properly done.’
-with reporting by
Miranda La Rose
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