Department of Justice Seal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INS

SEPTEMBER 7, 2001

(202) 514-2007

WWW.USDOJ.GOV

TDD (202) 514-1888


DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE IMPOSES SANCTIONS ON GOVERNMENT

OF GUYANA FOR REFUSING TO ACCEPT REPATRIATION OF ITS CITIZENS


WASHINGTON, D.C. The Department of Justice, in a letter to the State Department, today formally invoked its statutory authority to require the Secretary of State to discontinue granting visas to citizens, subjects, nationals and residents of Guyana due to Guyana's failure to accept the return of its nationals who have been ordered deported from the United States. The government of Guyana can avoid sanctions by accepting repatriation of these citizens within the next thirty days.

The action was taken in response to the Supreme Court's decision in Zadvydas v. Davis which held that the U.S. government generally may not detain indefinitely aliens who have been ordered deported but that Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) has not been able to remove. The INS is currently holding in custody more than 100 nationals of Guyana who have been ordered deported because of the crimes they have committed in the United States and who have been determined by the INS to be dangerous.

The Department of Justice exercised its authority for the first time after numerous requests to cooperatively resolve the problem failed.

If the Department of Justice receives information that the government of Guyana accepts the return of its aliens, it will ask the State Department to lift the sanction.

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