Stay off the Stop-List, youngsters are warned

THE American Consulate stepped up its stop-list awareness campaign this week, warning youngsters of criminal activities which could prevent lifelong travel to the United States.Drug convictions, thug-like behaviour and crimes of a moral nature such as forgery or theft, could all restrict admittance — even in instances where a person requires life-saving medical treatment not available here.

And although the US Department of Homeland Security does grant waivers, the message the Consulate is now sharing with students across the island should be an obvious one — it's better to just stay off the stop-list.

"Once you get an ineligibility, that ineligibility stays with you for life," warned Vice Consul Carla Nadeau. "So if you're busted for drugs or assault with grievous bodily harm, theft or fraud, it stays with you forever and it's up to the Department of Homeland Security to determine whether it's in the US interest to have folks come in with those types of criminal (records).

"You have to apply for the waiver. It's not automatic. It's not permanent. It just says that at this period in time we're gonna let you have relief from ineligibility. It's almost like a probation — if you mess up again, it's going to be a while before you get another one.

"Whether or not it's granted depends on how recent the conviction was, how serious the conviction was. Does it appear that this person is rehabilitated?

"And just to point out, because you get a certificate of rehabilitation from the Government of Bermuda has no bearing on our US Immigration law at all.

"A lot of folks think that if they have the certificate we would essentially acknowledge that, but US immigration law does not allow us to do that. There are people who do get turned down even in life-threatening situations where they need medical treatment. There are cases where the US government will say, 'No. You're not welcome in the United States'. So it can be a pretty big deal."

US Consul Margaret Pride and Consul General Gregory Slayton announced earlier this month that the Consulate, together with US Customs and Border Protection, had launched an initiative aimed at keeping youngsters off the stop-list.

As part of that scheme, US officials travelled to middle schools and high schools across the island spreading the message and highlighted the issue in the local media.

The attempt is being aided by Dunkley's Dairy, which has donated space on its milk cartons, warning kids to stay off the stop-list and advising them what to do if convicted and how to apply for a waiver.

"Essentially, what we're trying to do at the Consulate is a publicity campaign to get people to keep themselves off the stop-list, and that's the key," she said, adding that many people cited the US Consulate instead of their own actions, as the reason they were unable to travel to America.

"What we're trying to do is reach out to younger folks before they get in trouble and let them know what the ramifications are if they do have convictions and what it means if they want to go to school or they need medical treatment or just simply want to go shopping.

"The idea is to have an open dialogue about this so we can hopefully help Bermudians to stay off the stop-list. We've seen people who are 75 years old coming in for waivers.

"We've seen very well-paid executives coming in for waivers. It's not just the population that I think that people would assume — the kind of ne'er-do-wells — there's folks from every walk of life."

Bermuda represents ten per cent of waiver applications world-wide. The majority are approved relatively quickly through increased efforts which have reduced the turn-around time from six to eight months, to between three and five months. Said Ms Nadeau: "I think maybe what happened is the timeline for getting the waivers processed stretched out terribly long last year. I think people were starting to get quite frustrated with the fact they had been getting waivers over the years and they could get it done at the airport in a day or two, and all of a sudden it was taking eight months to a year to get a waiver.

"I think there was a lot of anger out there. It brought to our attention what an important issue this is for Bermudians and that's why we've worked hard with the State Department to reduce the wait, to streamline the process.

"And as we were doing that we were looking at the issue in a grander scheme — what can we do to send the message to Bermuda youths to stay out of this whole process to begin with?"

She added that youngsters who do find themselves in trouble should not, under any circumstances, try to enter the United States illegally.

"If you've got a conviction, don't try to sneak through because that's also a bad thing. If you get caught at the airport and you're turned around, that lends another angle.

"Is this person rehabilitated? If you're trying to sneak through, what else do you have to hide? And so what we're encouraging people to do is come in and apply. Statistically, you're chances are good that you'll get a waiver."

The Vice Consul acknowledged there are many who believe the process is unfair, but stressed it was vital to homeland security.

"I think there's a lot of concern that it's not fair, that people should be able to go to the United States whenever they need to. But the reality is every country has the right to set up immigration laws.

"Bermuda decides who comes and who goes and when they do that. The United States has that same right. And we've been governed by Congress to make sure that people who have had trouble with the law are vetted before they enter the United States.

"It makes sense. You wouldn't want criminals — child molesters, drug peddlers and such — to come to Bermuda. That's up to Bermuda Immigration in the long term, but it makes sense. "It's not to be hostile. It's not only directed at Bermuda, it's world-wide. I think we've made an honest effort and a good effort to speed up the waiver process, to get the information out there and encourage people to do the right thing."

 

 

 

Courtesy of the Royal Gazette