WILLEMSTAD - In the explanatory memorandum to the national budget presented last week by the Minister of Finance, it states that the costs associated with the stay of an illegal person picked up by the authorities are estimated at 250 guilders a day.
The memorandum also states that returning illegal immigrants to their country of origin also costs the community a lot of money: deportation costs are calculated at 9,000 guilders for 25 illegal immigrants per charter flight to Venezuela.
The draft budget does not provide very current figures, but it does provide an insight, the explanatory memorandum states that up to and including August 2018, 683 illegal immigrants were deported.
Given the expectation that the problems in neighboring Venezuela can escalate rather than decrease due to increasing national and international pressure, the Ministry of Justice believes that the migration of the illegal immigrants will also increase.
This will entail an overload on the coastguard, the Admission Organization, the Curaçao Police Force (KPC) and the SDKK prison.
The precarious political, social and economic situation in the large South American neighboring country has led to illegal migration to Curaçao. The large (illegal) migration of persons from Venezuela has direct consequences for the police, the Public Prosecution Service, the coast guard and the illegal barracks. This regarding the increased deployment to the investigation activities and the demand for detention capacity. This increased deployment has consequences for operational costs, including overtime for staff.
Migration also involves other forms of crime - such as trafficking in human beings, drugs and arms trafficking - which also has a negative impact on operational costs. The detention capacity that is currently considered "marginal" will be addressed further by both the KPC and the SDKK, which means that according to the explanatory notes to the budget, the situation threatens to become "out of control" if the necessary investments in manpower and infrastructure do not take place on time.
It is becoming necessary to consider a new possibility for detention of so-called "undocumented persons". The construction costs for the new immigration barracks are estimated at 5.9 million guilders. The operating costs are estimated at 4.1 million per year. The number of foreign nationals who can be detained with this new building is approximately 100. In addition, the increase in operating costs at the aforementioned implementing organizations must be taken into account. With sufficient resources, it is possible to intensify the deportation policy with regard to arrested illegal immigrants, so that the costs of detention can be positively influenced.
For the time being, no provision is made for (new) reception, but in the - now also promised - support from the Netherlands there are provisions available for any emergency relief. In this context, during the negotiations for support from the Netherlands, a plan was developed to increase the detention capacity at SDKK.
There are plans for a new building in addition to the renovation of the current aliens’ barracks. The projected new building will have to be delivered in May 2020 and made operational. The estimated operating costs are 2 million per year. Regarding removal and deportation, the costs have increased by an average of 200,000 (a few travel tickets) per year.
The impact of the economic crisis and the current political uncertainties in Venezuela on the economy of Curaçao are, according to the Rhuggenaath cabinet, "major": "It directly and indirectly affects more than 25 percent of Curaçao's economy."
The government indicates that a large part of the financial consequences as a result of the illegal migration from Venezuela are mostly on the Ministry of Justice.
