Commissioner responsible for Constitutional Affairs Sarah Wescot-Williams, says that the Executive Council would like to receive information about the reorganization of the Netherlands Antilles Immigration Service as well as about plans for the establishment of an Admissions Organization for the current Netherlands Antilles.
An invitation for a meeting early March has been sent to Antillean Minister of Justice David Dick with respect to the aforementioned.
Wescot-Williams says that the immigration service of the Netherlands Antilles over a period of many years has had a major challenge in securing the borders and controlling migration to St. Maarten.
"Based on the November 2008 agreements where the transition of responsibilities of various tasks is concerned, St. Maarten is still being left in the dark where immigration and judicial planning is concerned.
"As we move one more step closer to the attainment of country status, our island nation has to have a border control system in place that adequately controls those who enter and leave the island as well as those who overstay their welcome.
"Due to the lack of attention paid in the past, our island nation is confronted with a number of challenges which are being dealt with and others which can only be dealt with once we receive the authority to do so. However, in order to deal with these in a comprehensive and correct manner, the left hand needs to know what the right hand is doing.
"An invitation was extended to the Antillean Minister of Justice in January for a meeting; however we have never received a response. Decisions are being taken which have far reaching consequences for St. Maarten as an Island Territory as well as Country. Synchronization of processes is essential," Commissioner of Constitutional Affairs Sarah Wescot-Williams told the Government Information Service (GIS) on Sunday.