Raul Garcia
BU was asked by the family to publish the following message extracted from the Free Raul ‘Coronell’ Garcia!! The man with no country Facebook Page to highlight the plight of Edilberto Coronell Munoz: – “Today makes 25 days that my uncle Raul Garcia is on a hunger strike at Dodd’s Prison, where they recently placed him into solitary confinement e to the strike. I’m including a few links that tell the story” – Juan Garcia Jr
This is message from my aunt (his sister) and his current condition! My name is Elena Trillas and I am Raul Garcia’s sister. As of today, January 30, 2012 my brother has lost 22 pounds. He is beginning to sound weak and hopeless. To make matters worse the jail as decided to send him to solitary has punishment for his hunger strike. I will no longer be able to speak to him.
WHY THE HATRED TOWARDS MY BROTHER??? He paid his debt to society. He is no longer a criminal but an immigration detainee. Why throw him in a maximum prison and punish him because he is fighting for the freedom that he earned. People of Barbados, does it not scare you that the application of laws depend on the individual?
I know that my brother is not from Barbados. But despite being in jail for all these years he has done nothing but shed positive light on this country through his art. He has represented the island with an art display in New York. He’s won awards and all with paintings of BARBADOS. Of your beautiful landscapes and your beautiful people!!! He believed in the system. He believed in Barbados. No one is asking for anything other than what he has earned.
WE NEED SOMEONE TO LISTEN!! WE NEED SOMEONE TO HELP US OR HE WILL DIE…
Related Link: Miami man vows hunger strike until his death for his freedom in Barbados
The following application to the Court in 2009 maybe of interest:
http://www.lawcourts.gov.bb/Lawlibrary/events.asp?id=728
After reading the comments one should strongly consider the reasons why this is going on based on the facts and they all lie within the law as many have mentioned.
-Any US embassy will not allow him to return to the US because he has violated his Permanent residency on several accounts concerning “Good Moral Character”.Drug Trafficking charges are a Permanent bar to immigration benefits in the US and thus he can NOT be claimed to be a Permanent resident.The second reason is that if not given permission to be outside the US more than 1 year you also automatically lose Permanent residency due to “Abandonment”.The Department of State is HIGHLY UNLIKELY to approve any waiver for this individual considering the trafficking charge thus he can never return to the US ! If he was a US citizen he would certainly be allowed to return to the US !
-It is quite apparent that Cuba has very strict exit visa policy with regards to its Cuban citizens.Many Communist countries have similar laws like China or Russia but don’t technically lose their Citizenship due to these certain circumstances making Cuba quite the most extreme in this situation with regards to one losing citizenship.He lost his Cuban citizenship status when he gained US asylum as his exit was not approved by the Cuban Government or he was out of Cuba over the exit approved time period.
-Under Barbados Immigration laws since he is not a Citizenship he will be permanently deported and AFAIK is ineligible for any status whatsoever due to not meeting what is called “CHARACTER” grounds.He won’t be released into the Barbados community unless he has status and considering he is ineligible due to drug trafficking he will remain detained !
-I would HIGHLY suggest to the Barbados Government to seek Interpols help on seeing what citizenship he holds through his Fingerprints and seek to repatriate him to a country of citizenship he holds currently or release him with a work permit to support himself on a humanitarian basis.The US actually does this quite frequently to people it cannot remove due to Citizenship issues lacking in the country of removal with the condition they report with a period of time to the authorities or wearing an ankle bracelet with report in conditions until the person in question can be removed.
I have been reliably informed that the Barbados Government views Mr. Garcia as a security risk. In their words “Mr. Garcia is unfinished business …!” and their are fearful that when this “business” is executed (literally and figuratively) that Barbadian citizens will be caught in the cross fire. Truthfully Mr. Garcia is safe while behind bars, but it is the potential for “collateral damage” that is behind the decision to keep him there. This will soon be made public….!
http://www.lawcourts.gov.bb/Lawlibrary/events.asp?id=728
@ David,
If a precedent has been set here in Barbados with a very similar case, according to the information given in the link above which you supplied for us, then what are the authorities waiting on? All that is needed according to that judgement given by a judge in Barbados is to identify someone in Barbados to whom Mr. Garcia should be released and allow him to leave HMP Dodds. Ah lie?
@de hood,
Is there anyone in Barbados who is willing to support Mr.Garcia indefinitely ?
What if no other country will take him ?
@Hants | February 13, 2012 at 10:03 PM
Hasn’t it been clearly stated that Mr. Garcia would be self-sufficient (more so than a lot of born bajans!) with income from his arts and craft and further support from his relatives (more fores for Barbados
)
correction. . . . .fores= forex
but does the laws of barbados permits a convicted crimnal to become legalised resident . this guys seem to be tied up in knots .or something similiar to a rubics cube!
@ David.
I was quite surprised to hear one of our Attorneys-at-Law, Mr Douglas Trotman suggest to Mr David Commissiong on Sunday during the discussion on VOB’s Brass Tacks that the case provided by the link should provide a precedent for rendering assistance in the Garcia case, since there are major distinguishing features in the two cases. For example, the applicant in the case given entered Barbados as a VISITOR and was given permission to remain for a period and was then given an extension. His problem came when he decided to work illegally. The next important feature was that the defendants in the case did not file affidavits in response; that is tantamount to throwing in the towel and not raising a defence . In addition there was no allegation that the applicant was in any way a danger to the state. None of the above is applicable to the Garcia case. He was arrested and convicted for drug offences ; he served a twenty year sentence and the Chief Immigration Officer has issued a deportation order. It is highly unlikely that if an application were filed on his behalf it would go undefended as in the case above. In addition it would be reasonable for the Chief Immigration Officer to aver that he is a danger to the State . These considerations would certainly prevent a court from acting in the same manner as it did in the case quoted in the link.
i have been critical of mr commissiong in this forum because i just cannot understand how or why a man who speaks so passionately on human rights issues can continue to turn a blind eye to the inhibitions of freedom imposed on the cuban people as descibed in the fair and balance article by cuban mr jorge garcia published in the sunday sun of 12th february.give me all the free health, free education and take away my freedom to articulate or move when i like i am but nothing. mr commissiong i would never be able to take you seriously until you begin to speak on the injustices perpetrated on the backs of the majority of the cuban people the majority of whom work for the equivalent of less than 11us per month in order to provide the wherwithal to export doctors and nurses to other countries and provide scholarships all of which serve to boost the image of the power elite of the cuban regime.
@de hood
The reality here is that to do anything for the gentleman our laws have to be changed. It appears the government is reluctant to do so. Until the law changes he will have to remain at Dodds.
@ David
I am wondering if you should not bring this blog forward for a little while longer, David?
mr commissiong you are not short of words when it comes to bashing the policies of the usa, i plead with you to respond and show me where i am misguided in my comments that it is inhuman and repressive for cuba to deny entry to citizens of cuba born in cuba.
i am still waiting to hear from mr commissiong or is he studiously researching his response to spew on an unsuspecting public who are only fed platitudes about the much touted free health, free education and the export of nurses and doctors to poor counties; but mr commissiong we have that too in the barbados you are free to criticise so often from time to time.
however, i do agree that mr garcia should be released from prison into the care of mr harry collymore of dunlowlane as mandated by the court decison handed down by justice crane-scott on 31st august, 2009.
i just observe in todays nation mr comissdiong speaking about having mr garcia housed in a non-punitive facility. why is he pursuing this course when there is an unchallenged court order/decision authorising the release to a mr harry collymore of dunlowlane. has the court order been rescinded?you mean there is no respect for decisions of the corts now by those sworn to uphold the law?
@balance
You need to reread the order using your best comprehension skills.
@ balance
Can you not see the dissimilarity between these two cases ?
it is good to see that Raul would eventually be housed outside of the prison walls. however the remaining puzzle is still to be resolved and if barbados does not find a place of residence for him should it be incumbent for barbados to release him. being a convicted criminal and not a citizen of barbados .barbados must tread cautiously because this can set a precedent for other convicts to follow.
david and observer- please point me in the right direction.i genuinely want to know.
observer which two cases ? perhaps i am missing something.
@ balance
I admire your forthrightness ; we may all benefit from another view that can put us on track from time to time.
The Applicant in the link case WAS GIVEN STATUS as a visitor to Barbados by the Chief Immigration Officer . That status DID NOT permit him to work here WITHOUT a work permit. He breached the provisions of his status BY WORKING ILLEGALLY. That was the act of indiscretion which caused the Chief Immigration Officer to REVOKE his visitor status and issue a deportation order. This factually AND legally presents a far different situation from Garcia’s position. HE NEVER ACQUIRED VISITOR STATUS; he was arrested on his arrival , imprisoned, convicted and sentenced to twenty years in prison for drug-related offences .
I believe this is a large enough chunk of the facts to put you on track and provide for a better analysis of the two cases.
@ balance.
The ” link case ” was provided by David in a posting on 12 February 2012 at 1:53 pm .