In 2009, a seismic shift in Barbados’ immigration policy sent shockwaves through the Caribbean community. Newly appointed Prime Minister David Thompson stood before Parliament to announce the dismantling of a long-standing policy that had offered hope to thousands of undocumented CARICOM nationals seeking to regularize their status in Barbados.
The existing policy, implemented under the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), had provided a path to kanunî status for “undocumented” CARICOM migrants who had lived and worked in Barbados for at least five years, maintained clean criminal records, and contributed to the island’s economy. Thompson’s Democratic Labour Party (DLP) government replaced this with a far more restrictive approach: only those who had arrived before 1999—effectively requiring a decade of residence—would be considered for regularization.
What followed was nothing short of a humanitarian crisis. The Immigration Department launched a draconian crackdown that fell particularly hard on Guyana’s citizens, who comprised the largest group of undocumented CARICOM nationals in Barbados. Families were torn apart, deportations became commonplace, and a climate of fear gripped the migrant community.
It was in this atmosphere of mounting tension that a coalition of concerned citizens, myself included, stepped forward to challenge the new policy. We established our base at the Clement Payne Cultural Centre, where we founded the “Coalition for a Humane Amnesty.” This organization would become the epicenter of a comprehensive campaign that reached far beyond Barbados’ shores to touch the entire Caribbean community.
Our activism took many forms: we engaged with Barbadian parliamentarians, reached out to Caribbean Community Prime Ministers, held crucial meetings with immigration officials, and participated in public forums, including radio programs and government-sponsored town hall meetings. Most importantly, we provided direct assistance to scores of undocumented migrants navigating the increasingly hostile immigration system.
The breakthrough came through an unlikely channel: a private telephone conversation with Prime Minister Thompson himself. In that crucial call, I laid bare the human cost of his policy, detailing how it was not only heartless and cruel but economically self-defeating. More importantly, I emphasized that there was a better way forward for Barbados’ immigration challenges.
That conversation led to a pivotal early morning meeting at Ilaro Court, the Prime Minister’s official residence. There, accompanied only by Permanent Secretary Gilbert Greaves, Thompson and I engaged in a frank discussion that would ultimately reshape the nation’s immigration policy. The Prime Minister, showing remarkable willingness to reconsider his stance, agreed to significant modifications of the controversial policy.
The amended approach marked a return to the five-year residency requirement, though with a crucial difference. While undocumented CARICOM nationals who had lived in Barbados for five years could now file for Immigrant Status without fear of immediate deportation, the approval would no longer be automatic. Instead, each case would be evaluated on its individual merits. Importantly, rejected applicants would have recourse to an impartial Immigration Review Committee, and they would be protected from deportation throughout the entire application and appeal process.
Thompson chose to implement these changes quietly, without public announcement—a condition I accepted as a practical compromise. The reforms were enacted through an internal memorandum from the Permanent Secretary to the Chief Immigration Officer, with a copy provided to me as evidence of the agreement.
Yet the story didn’t end there. While the worst of the crisis had passed, new challenges emerged. The Immigration Department adopted a troubling pattern of summarily rejecting applications from undocumented migrants rather than conducting genuine merit-based assessments. However, the saving grace lay in the appeals process: rejected applicants could now seek recourse through the genuinely impartial Immigration Review Committee.
For years afterward, our coalition remained deeply involved, guiding countless migrants through the labyrinthine processes of both the Immigration Department and Review Committee. Though the path wasn’t easy, the era of unchecked deportations and widespread terror had come to an end.
The impact of this policy shift cannot be overstated. Thousands of CARICOM citizens—people who had built lives, formed relationships, and contributed to Barbadian society—were spared the trauma of forced separation from their adopted home. Teachers, construction workers, domestic helpers, and entrepreneurs could finally breathe easier, knowing they had a fighting chance to regularize their status.
This victory extended far beyond individual cases. It represented a triumph for the broader concept of Caribbean integration—a reminder that beneath the political rhetoric and policy debates, we are fundamentally one Caribbean family. In an era where immigration policies worldwide increasingly trend toward restriction and exclusion, Barbados ultimately chose a more humane path.
The Coalition for a Humane Amnesty stands as a testament to what can be achieved when civil society organizations stand firm in defense of human dignity. It demonstrates that even seemingly intractable government policies can be modified through reasoned dialogue and persistent advocacy.
As Caribbean nations continue to grapple with intra-regional migration issues today, this episode serves as both a cautionary tale and a blueprint for progress. It reminds us that the path to regional integration must be paved not just with economic agreements and political declarations, but with genuine concern for the human beings caught in the machinery of immigration policy.
David Comissiong is Barbados’ Ambassador to CARICOM and served as the founding member of the Coalition for a Humane Amnesty.
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Source: WiredJA