The Immigration Department intercepted 24 people over a six-week period for breaches of Anguilla’s Immigration and Passport Act, according to new enforcement figures.
Twenty-two were accused of illegal residence, five were repatriated and the department collected more than EC$26,700 in fines, penalties and related enforcement fees.
A total of three people were also refused entry to Anguilla between 1 May and 19 June, including two at Clayton J Lloyd International Airport and one at the Blowing Point Ferry Terminal.
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The 24 people intercepted included eight from Trinidad and Tobago, five from the Dominican Republic, four from Colombia, three from Dominica, and two from St Kitts and Nevis.
One person from each of Venezuela, and St Vincent and the Grenadines, were also apprehended.
The department said permission to remain in Anguilla is granted only for a specified period and warned that people who overstay without lawful permission may face detention, prosecution, fines or removal.
It said it will continue to enforce the island’s immigration laws in a fair, impartial and professional manner, while encouraging the public to report suspected immigration violations.
The figures continue a recent pattern of immigration enforcement by the department.
During an earlier reporting period, covering two-months from 13 February to 13 April, eight people were convicted of illegal entry, receiving combined fines of $42,500.
Of those, three were from Anguilla, and one each from Dominica, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, St Martin and Venezuela.
The single Colombian national was jailed for one month and five people were removed from Anguilla following court proceedings.
