Immigration Officers lauded for vigilance at airport

~~Adz:Right~~ Roadtown, Tortola - Premier Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal, OBE today lauded the work of immigration officers whose recent efforts resulted in the arrest and conviction of two foreign nationals attempting to gain fraudulent entry into the Territory at the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport.

The Premier, whose portfolio also includes immigration, said the vigilance of immigration officers in detecting fraudulent documents must be applauded.

He was speaking against the backdrop of two convictions last week in which two Dominican Republic nationals were sentenced to three years each in prison for using false documents in an attempt to gain entry to the Territory.

Honourable O’Neal, who is in London for a series of meetings, said “the detection of these false documents shows that our immigration officers are keeping a watchful eye on our borders and ensuring that only legally accepted persons are allowed to enter our ports.”

The Premier added “when I addressed immigration officers at the start of a training workshop in July, I urged them to continuously strive to remain steps ahead of the criminals because of the ease with which these criminals use technological advances to falsify documents and identities.”

“It is heartening today to see that our immigration officers are demonstrating such diligence in the execution of their duties and for this I highly commend their efforts and urge them to continue striking that delicate balance between welcoming visitors and protecting our borders,” the Premier added.

Acting Chief Immigration Officer Mr. Dennis Jennings is also high in praise for the immigration officers at the Terrence B. Lettsome International Airport. Mr. Jennings noted that the use of false documentation by visitors is an ongoing challenge and he urged officers to maintain their vigilance.

“The officers have done an excellent job and they were able to detect these false documents and the legal system was able to bring these perpetrators to justice,” Mr. Jennings told the Department of Information and Public Relations.

Like the Premier, the top immigration official urged continued vigilance. “I would encourage officers to continue to be vigilant in their duties because it is the only way we are going to demonstrate that we are in fact performing our duties in a manner which is in the best interest of the Territory.”

Mr. Jennings added “our whole aim is to ensure that we keep our borders secure and I would encourage officers at all the ports of entry to ensure that due diligence is paid during the course of inspection to ensure that we allow only genuine visitors to enter the Territory.”

Reflecting on the July training workshop attended by 16 immigration officers, Mr. Jennings said “we have to continue to train and re-train our officers because ongoing training will help keep them at the cutting edge, giving them a better chance to detect non-genuine travellers.”

The two convicted persons are Franklyn Antione Casado Reyes, who was travelling with a false United States of America passport, and Marco Antonio Garabito Guzman, who used a Dominican Republic passport with a fraudulent BVI visa. They both pleaded guilty to the charges and were sentenced to three years each.

The Department of Immigration is responsible for securing the borders of the Territory. Under section 37, paragraph three of the Immigration and Passport Ordinance, “if any person without lawful authority, alters any certificate or document issued or made under this ordinance or uses for the purpose of this ordinance or has in his possession for such use any forged, altered or irregular certificate, passport, visa or other document, he shall be guilty of an offence.”