65 Detainess to be repatriated to Pakistan

Mr. Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington said that around 65 Pakistani immigration detainees are expected to be repatriated to Pakistan via a chartered flight from Buffalo New York in the next 48 hours under an arrangement between the Pakistan Embassy and the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

This would be the seventh chartered flight repatriating such Pakistani detainees. Previous such flights have repatriated 542 detainees on June 26, 2002, August 21, 2002, November 20, 2002, March 12, 2003, July 23, 2003 and October 22, 2003. A total of 1682 detainees have been deported to Pakistan prior to this flight, including those deported through charter flights.

DCM Sadiq said that arrangement of chartered flights ensures the early repatriation of those detained Pakistani nationals who have exhausted all judicial remedies and wish to go back to Pakistan. The Embassy and the consulates receive tens of calls each day from relatives of the detainees in Pakistan and around the world, asking for repatriation of their loved ones. Consequently, the Embassy, working with relevant US agencies, ensures that Pakistani nationals do not have to suffer long incarceration after the culmination of their judicial processes.

Due to the efforts of the Embassy and the Government of Pakistan, the release and repatriation time of Pakistani detainees is the most expeditious among South Asian countries; usually less than 90 days. Detainees from other countries have to suffer a minimum of six months in detention after deportation orders.

Like previous such flights, an Embassy official have interviewed all detainees at Buffalo to ensure that only those detainees are repatriated to Pakistan who have no pending judicial appeals in US immigration courts and want to return to Pakistan. The official would accompany the detainees to Pakistan to ensure their well being on the flight and to facilitate their immigration formalities in Islamabad.

The Embassy will also provide financial assistance to the detainees to enable them to reach their hometowns from Islamabad. During the flight, the detainees would be served halal food and a doctor would be on-board to provide any medical assistance if required.

More than half of the deportees are deportation absconders who had been ordered deported in the past but did not comply with those orders. The others have been convicted of crimes such as credit card fraud, larceny, assault, spousal abuse, burglary, prostitution, kidnapping, illegal possession of weapons, counterfeiting etc. Those in the latter category have already completed their sentences in the United States.

Besides assisting Pakistani nationals in early repatriation, the Embassy and the consulates maintain consular access with the detainees through regular visits to detention centers to provide assistance under the provisions of law.

After the repatriation of this group, some 130 Pakistanis will still remain in detention in the US. They are pursuing their cases in US courts.

Washington, D.C.

April 13, 2004