PDM DEPUTY LEADER AND FIVES CAYS MP BRINGS CRITICAL HOUSE MOTION

Statement From Hon Sean Astwood, Deputy Leader and Five Cays MP

There is an increasing and long term problem of children being born in the Turks and Caicos Islands to parents who are not Turks and Caicos Islanders and those children who may have not been born in the Islands but have been here all of their lives. While recognizing this as a problem our country has struggle to keep up with these occurrences and has no doubt failed to create a viable solution. A number of these children have now past through all levels of our education system and benefited tremendously from our education and healthcare system, the latter, most time at the cost of tax payers. As the Turks and Caicos Islands continues to be affected by under population and a growing pressure to increase our franchise or in more layman’s terms create more permanent residences and Turks and Caicos Islanders, we must seek sensible ways in which to fill our needs that will allow these children to be fully assimilated with the results being a true benefit to our country.

The simple fact of the matter is that the children are here and they are not going anywhere. With this in mind, on August 8th 2014 I as Deputy Leader of the Peoples Democratic Movement submitted a Private Member’s Motion to the House of Assembly with the sole purpose of addressing this issue.

I hope that the discussion will ignite solutions. We must address these issues head on and once and for all seek to implement recommendations made since 2004 by the people of this country in this critical area.

PRIVATE MEMBER’S MOTION NO. /2014

Moved By Hon Representative for Five Cays

Seconded By Hon Leader of the Opposition

WHEREAS there are a number of young persons born to foreign nationals who have been resident in these Islands all of their lives;

AND WHEREAS the Turks and Caicos Government has invested in their education at primary and secondary level which many have completed;

AND WHEREAS these young persons do not have any form of legal TCI status;

AND WHEREAS many are finding it difficult to obtain employment due to the fact that they are unable to obtain a work permit or permanent resident certificate;

AND WHEREAS this is an urgent matter that we had hoped by now would have been discussed and debated in the new Immigration Bill and FURTHER that we are not certain that it is included in the Bill;

AND WHEREAS many of these young people regard TCI as their home and will like to be fully assimilated;

BE IT RESOLVED that this Honorable House advise and recommend to the Government that a special category and special conditions be established and be required to be met in a policy and law to address these young people as a matter of urgency.