Philipsburg: --- The father of a two week old baby is questioning why immigration officers were called to pick up his child's mother while their baby is in a hospital in Curacao. The man said the woman was picked up while at BZV office on Wednesday. Her arrest he said is a set up by those responsible for medical.
Wilfred Santiago said the mother of his child gave birth to their infant son on December 10th at the St. Maarten Medical Center via caesarean section (C-section). He said his live in girl friend Althea Hanson a Jamaican national were having trouble during her delivery and the doctors told them they had to operate if they were to save the baby and mother. Soon after giving birth doctors at the St. Maarten Medical Center realized the baby digested fluid and had to be sent to Curacao for further medical treatment. The young St. Maartener said they both consented to the transfer after they were told by SMMC that someone was accompanying the child to Curacao and that person was responsible for brining the child back to St. Maarten. 
Asked why he neither the mother of the child did not travel with the child Santiago said Althea Hanson has been residing illegally on St. Maarten for the past eight years and was working in the food an beverage industry ever since then. Due to the fact the mother does not have legal documents for St. Maarten she could not accompany the baby while he could not since he is working. The man provided a SVB medical card for the woman which is valid until February 2009.
Santiago said on Wednesday (Christmas Eve) his girl friend called him while he was at work and told him that someone from BZV called her to say she needed to go to their office to pick up some documents. The man said he accompanied Hanson to BZV office and even though they called out to the personnel of BZV no one came to attend to them instead four immigration officers showed up to the location and asked if he was Santiago and if the woman in question was Hanson. Immediately after answering the question the men in blue posed they took the woman in their car while they told him to sit and wait. Shortly after police escorted the two to the Philipsburg police station. The man said at the Police Station he was told that he needed to let go of the woman since the Federal Government could not afford to pay Naf64, 000 in medical expenses for an illegal child. Santiago said he was released but the woman who has a long cut on her abdomen is held in police custody pending deportation. He said he is worried that his child mother would contract a cold or any other type of illness since she only gave birth two weeks ago. "I am worried for her and so far no one can tell me why she was arrested at BZV office".
Santiago said he wanted to acknowledge his son but he could not do that soon after the baby was born since the census office requested a un married certificate which has to come from Jamaica. "Its not like no one was going to pay the medical bills, it's just a matter of time and no one discussed that with me. Right now I don't know what the authorities would do with my son. We have been calling Curacao on a daily basis and we were told that the baby was doing well now that he is out of intensive care unit." Santiago said. The man said doctors even told them that the child needed to see a specialist on a regular basis.
Glendon White, the brother of Althea said he met with the island chief of police Franklyn Richards on Christmas Day to discuss his sister's situation knowing the fact she just gave birth. He said Richards told him there was nothing he could do to assist the woman. "The governor said if he helped me then other people would approach him seeking the same kind of assistance. He said he cannot go over the law of the land". White said.
Furthermore, White said they visited the Philipsburg Police station yesterday as they are trying to visit Althea and an officer told them that the woman was set up by someone. " I need to know who would do something like this because my sister may not have legal documents for St. Maarten but she has been working for a legitimate company whose responsibilities were to file her documents. Secondly my sister can die sleeping on that cold concrete."
Efforts made to contact the Governor last night proved futile. While the relatives will be seeking legal advice today, where they would be contesting her detention and probably deportation. Santiago said everybody has human rights and Althea Hanson is no different. He said he hopes the government and those responsible for Hanson's arrest would have the answers he is seeking via the courts.
