“I wasn’t questioned”- Gail Teixeira on claims of detention in US

Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Minister, Gail Teixeira, on Tuesday had cause to debunk reports circulating on sections of social media that she was detained and questioned by authorities in the United States of America (USA) while on a recent trip there.
On the sidelines of an event hosted by the Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Ministry at the Pegasus Suites and Corporate Centre, Minister Teixeira was asked for a response to the reports. She immediately denied the claims.
While she did travel in September, Teixeira, made it clear that the last time the US authorities had ever stopped and questioned her was in the 1990’s, due to her association with the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).
“No, I’ve never been questioned. I haven’t been anywhere since early September and no, I have not been questioned. When we were in Opposition in the 80s and 90s, I was questioned because of the PPP, being a member, but I have not been questioned as a Guyanese now and nor from 92 [1992] onwards,” Teixeira said.
Since last year, several Guyanese public officials were stopped and questioned by US authorities. They included former Permanent Secretary of the Home Affairs Ministry, Mae Thomas-Meerabux, who in April 2023, was detained and allegedly manhandled by male officers attached to the US Customs and Border Protection.
The Permanent Secretary’s mobile phone was also confiscated during that ordeal. A few months later, Thomas-Meerabux was transferred to the Labour Ministry. In June of this year, it was revealed that she had resigned from the PPP Central Committee after United States Department of the Treasury on Tuesday imposed sanctions on her along with businessmen Nazar Mohamed and his son, Azruddin Mohamed.
Meanwhile, Head of the Major Crimes Unit of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Superintendent Mitchell Caesar, was also stopped and questioned by US authorities earlier this year, after landing at the John F Kennedy International Airport in New York.
This was confirmed by Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo during a press briefing in March. According to Jagdeo, after the interrogation, the senior police rank was permitted entry into the USA. Jagdeo had also noted that in light of the development, the leadership of the GPF would be handling the matter.