US ENVOY ON U.S.-GAMBIA RELATIONS AFTER JAMMEH, DEPORTATIONS AND VISA REGIME

The head of the US diplomatic mission in The Gambia, Charge d’Affaires Shelly Seaver has said that her country is deepening its diplomatic engagement in The Gambia and that US assistance and programming in The Gambia has increased ten-fold. “I can tell you just a few examples of that partnership. We are giving US$1 million to civil society organisations to support the work of the TRRC and we have also expanded our education programming and exchange opportunities…” Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Standard editors on Wednesday, Ms Seaver who is serving as the acting ambassador revealed that about 60 Gambians have been deported under the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement federal agency by the Department of Homeland Security. These, she explained, “are individuals who have been out of status in the US. They may have violated some immigration policy or laws of the US and have found themselves to be out of status in the US.” Asked how many Gambians in the US are lined up for deportation to Banjul, Ms Seaver said: “That number differs and it depends on a number of factors so I don’t have that information to share with you now. So we cannot talk about specific cases.” Read the full text of Chargé d’Affaires Seaver’s interview on the opposite page.]]>