Home News PS’ treatment at US airport: “No motive; it was a normal routine...
President Dr Irfaan Ali has stated that there was no ulterior motive behind the treatment meted out to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Mae Thomas-Meerabux, at the Miami International Airport in the United States recently, adding that it was a normal procedure.
Earlier this month, the Permanent Secretary was travelling on official duties to China and in-transit in the US, where she was detained and allegedly manhandled by male officers attached to the US Customs and Border Protection. Her mobile phone was also confiscated during the ordeal.
Questioned about this incident on Wednesday, President Ali told reporters that the matter is “no issue” for the Government of Guyana.
“The Minister [of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn] would have advised me that the authorities said it was a normal routine as part of how they execute their job that persons are asked to go to secondary [screening], which I’m aware of. There was no motive, that is what I was told. There was no motive; it was a normal routine procedure,” the Head of State indicated to reporters on the sidelines of an event at the Office of the President.
According to the President, PS Thomas, who was part of a delegation travelling to China for a training programme when the incident occurred, has since submitted a detailed report on what transpired upon her return to Guyana.
That report, the Guyanese Leader explained, will be examined thoroughly by the Government after which, the matter will be further dealt with through established procedures.
“…A public office holder would’ve said to the minister [she was mistreated] and given a statement about what transpired. [But] all of that would be handled through the procedure and the procedure is one in which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will examine the report and then pursue that report with the relevant agency. In this case, I am convinced that once that report is completed, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would channel it through the necessary procedure,” he stated.
Further pressed on whether he is concerned specifically with the way the senior public official was treated, the Head of State posited “Any Guyanese who is mistreated anywhere by anyone and reports such mistreatment, there is procedure through which we deal with it…”
On April 8, PS Thomas was singled out at the Miami Airport and taken into a room to be grilled during her transit in the US.
Thomas-Meerabux, who is married to American citizen Dameion Meerabux, was held for some three hours during which she was asked basic questions by the male officers until after, a female officer entered the room and took other personal details. In fact, a source had told this publication that the Guyanese official felt as though she was violated.
The Permanent Secretary was travelling on a Service Passport and despite, her informing the CBP officers that she was on official duties, she was reportedly slammed into a wall, handcuffed, and humiliated in front of a group of Spanish-speaking passengers.
Additionally, her phone containing sensitive information relating to government policies as well as personal information was confiscated and searched despite her explaining that the device belonged to the Government of Guyana and clearance must be given by her superiors before she could hand it over.
However, she was reportedly denied a request to make contact with officials of the Guyana Government. Instead, she was told that she was in US territory and that her rights to do so were forfeited.
Thomas-Meerabux was later released and continued her journey to China. However, she had to travel via the London-Barbados-Guyana routine on her return home since her US visa was allegedly revoked. She arrived back in Guyana on Saturday.
When news on the matter broke last week, Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Elisabeth Harper had told the Guyana Times they had reached out to the US Embassy in Georgetown regarding the incident.
In that response, which was seen by this publication, the US Embassy through its Deputy Chief of Mission, Adrienne Galanek informed the Foreign Affairs Ministry that “We don’t have any specific information to share.”
However, the missive further went on to detail the policies of the Department of Homeland Security and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that is shared with all travellers to the US including citizens of that country on secondary inspection. (G8)
