Philipsburg: --- The United States Immigration and Customs (Homeland Security) will begin one week training on St. Maarten relating to human smuggling and trafficking as well as the use and identification of fraudulent documents. The umbrella department Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) would be providing the training for all islands of the Caribbean. Police Spokesman Johan Janchi Leonard said several neighboring islands would be on the island participating in the workshop.
The initiative is taken by the US law enforcement as they are trying to bring all partners in the Caribbean in accord as the United States. Leonard said that during the first two days there would be three sessions at both venues, which is the Philipsburg Community Center and the Customs, head office in Simpson Bay.
The ICE will be arriving on the island with their own instructors to conduct these training sessions. The first session is scheduled to take place at 8 am on Tuesday next week. Leonard said some 130 participants for the various islands would be participating in the weeklong training session. Also scheduled to be here are representatives from all islands of the Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico, Anguilla, and the British Virgin Islands.