Caribbean News Now!

By Caribbean News Now contributor

PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands -- Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Premier Rufus Ewing and immigration minister Don-Hue Gardiner both met with Haitian government officials while in Haiti attending a Caribbean Community (CARICOM) heads of government meeting.

The meetings appear to be an attempt to counter the negative media attention created by Gardiner’s now notorious statements encouraging TCI residents to make the lives of illegal Haitian migrants “unbearable”, as well as an apparent attempt to reduce the cost of repatriation of hundreds of Haitians arriving in the TCI illegally.

Gardiner reportedly asked Haitian officials how the TCI can sort out political refugees from economic refugees. Ewing, after attempting to pass on the cost of Haitian repatriations to Britain as a “border control issue”, has now asked Haitian officials to share the cost of repatriation with the TCI government.

Gardiner told Caribbean News Now contributor Jean Charles that he was interested in working out an orderly arrangement to supplying Haitian workers to the TCI.

Meanwhile, as part of a current by-election campaign in Providenciales, Gardiner’s Progressive National Party (PNP) has now attempted to shift the anti-Haitian rhetoric to the opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM), by posting photo posters in the Cheshire Hall/Richmond Hills election district. The posters show several young school children and the Creole legend claims that if the PDM wins the by-election Haitian children will be expelled from school.

With numerous Haitians attaining belonger status, working for TCI owned businesses and being assimilated into the TCI population via long term residence and marriage, the issue continues as a political hot button.

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