Lived Five Years in TCI undetected, now serving Five Months in Prison before Repatriation

Wilkie Arthur

Freelance Court Reporter

#TurksandCaicos, November 25, 2023 – He told the court, he was living in Turks and Caicos Islands for the past five years without being detected. He also admitted being detained before and sent home many years ago.

This was from 2018 to the date of his arrest in 2023 in the Northwest Point area.  However, Ministry of Immigration records revealed to the Court that the accused, Charles Anderson was arrested and repatriated without charge on at least three different occasions. Dates given to the court were:  12th February, 2008;  8th April, 2013 and again on 29th October, 2013.

He also told the Hon. Chief Magistrate (CM) Mr. Jolyon Hatmin on Monday 13th November, 2023 that he has three young children he is maintaining. Their ages are 12, 10 and 5. Two are his biological children and one he adopted from a close family members when she was sent back home by TCI Immigration authorities.

Two of those children reside in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The CM asked him what was he doing in the islands for the past five years and Anderson replied that he worked as a mechanic, with extra side jobs like masonry.

The Haitian man also told the court after all those years, he had just received a 10 percent receipt for his work permit.

Mr. Hatmin was shocked by this revelation directly from the month of an illegal man and said, “I don’t know how someone who’s in the country illegally is even being processed for a work permit and has a receipt.”

The man was questioned as to why he was at North West point area but he said, “I was not Northwest Point.  I was in Wheeland fixing my friend’s car; I didn’t had no one on the boat. I didn’t had no one that come in illegally.”

He was only arrested when Police and TCI Regiment members and the newly established Border Force officers were heading to the Northwest Point area after learning of an alleged illegal immigrants’ sloop successfully making land fall and the multi-task agencies (mentioned above) rushed to that location in pursuit of the Haitians, said to already be on the run.

When the unlawful entry charge was read to the accused CHARLES ANDERSON he immediately pleaded guilty to entering the Turks and Caicos Islands unlawfully without Immigration permission sometime in the year 2018.

Anderson however denied that he done it three times before but said yes, only once before and this time and then remained for five years.

Although there was no official report from authorities about this illegal landing, Magnetic Media can confirm receiving reports from residents that an illegal boat made landfall undetected around the night of October 31, 2023.

Deportation was recommended by the CM after Anderson has completed his sentence. He was given a five month prison term.

There was no instruction regarding the children of Mr. Anderson.