PHILIPSBURG--The government of St. Maarten will continue to prepare for United States (US) pre-clearance, so that when the US is ready to resume discussions on this matter, the country will be ready.
Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs made this clear during the live Council of Ministers press briefing on Wednesday. US Consul General and Chief of Mission to the Dutch Caribbean Margy Bond said last week that the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will not be proceeding with pre-clearance with the country for now due to budgetary constraints coupled with current national security priorities.
Bond informed Jacobs about the decision to take US pre-clearance off the table for St. Maarten for now during a meeting last week Wednesday.
“Bond expressed that due to the budgetary constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, among the challenges that the US government is facing, that the US Customs and Border Protection will not be proceeding at this time with pre-clearance not just in St. Maarten, but wherever. So, they are not looking to expand their reach at this time based on their own limitations,” Jacobs told reporters.
“They are paying close attention, of course, to their own national security and so there is a momentary pause where pre-clearance is concerned. As government, of course, we remain committed to continue to realise this when the conversation is ready to be resumed and so any and all necessary preparations that need to be made on our side to ensure that it can happen in future will continue to be done.
“So, the pre-clearance workgroup, which is a multidisciplinary team, will … continue to advise us [Council of Ministers – Ed.] moving forward. They will continue to monitor and liaise with industry-related trends and stakeholders as well as the US Consulate in Curaçao.”
Jacobs said she had a fruitful discussion with Bond.
“We were able to have quite a good discussion as well as receive updates and discuss several matters of concern. During the visit, we discussed some current or still-ongoing challenges; that is, an important one for both countries related to reporting on human-trafficking as well as possibilities for finding more opportunities for MOUs [memoranda of understanding] in education, business and culture based on our treaty as well as an update on the US pre-clearance situation.”
Also discussed were ways in which the consul could seek to assist St. Maarten in achieving its sustainable gas and energy goals.
“I think this was a very good start-up discussion. The Dutch/American Friendship Treaty was also discussed and as St. Maarten, we highlighted the need for this treaty to also be beneficial to the people of St. Maarten as well. So, the consul is open to looking into how the benefits conveyed in that treaty can be reciprocated to the people of St. Maarten,” Jacobs said.
Bond, who made her first visit to St. Maarten this week since assuming her new post on January 20, 2022, met with a number of local officials, including Jacobs; Justice Minister Anna Richardson; Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS) Rodolphe Samuel; Governor Eugene Holiday; and President of Parliament Grisha Heyliger-Marten.
