Finally an article which should interest Drs. Leopold "The Messenger" JAMES and Miguel "The Patriot" ARRINDELL. Amongst so many topics the deportation of illegal immigrants from Sint Maarten is a topic that lots of Sint Maarteners are talking about. "I am a foreigner in my own country" or "my people are a minority on their own island" are phrases often heard. These phrases are, without a doubt, facts. But why are Sint Maarteners so outspoken on this topic?
- Sint Maarteners feel that they are loosing grip with their own culture (foreign music, foreign bars, celebration of foreign holidays etc).
- Sint Maarteners are feeling that they are not respected in their own country.
- Sint Maarteners feel that jobs are "taken" away by foreigners.
- Sint Maarteners feel the cost of living going up, while there are a lot of foreigners not paying their fair share of taxes.
There are many more points, but let's elaborate on this last point. If Sint Maarten has to pick up a tab for health care costs totaling to some Ang 4.000.000,00 every year caused by illegal immigrants, if Sint Maarten has a problem with criminal illegal immigrants being a burden to our understaffed police force and prison staff, if Sint Maarten has a problem with balancing a budget and yet can not collect wage taxes or income taxes from illegal workers than we should debate out of a financial point of view if Sint Maarten would indeed be better of when the government starts to deport illegal immigrants from Sint Maarten in greater numbers.
I, for one, wish everybody from every walk of life the best of luck on Sint Maarten as long they play by the rules and regulations of this land. Being illegal is absolutely crossing the rules and regulations of this land.
The question is: How many illegal immigrants should Sint Maarten deport who are a burden to the use of our collective tax money and who are filling a lot of vacancies that for example our own youths could fill legally and therefore contribute to increase our collective tax money?
Sjaoel "Shooz" Richardson