Pato defends deportation order for Americans

 FOREIGN Affairs and Immigration Minister Rimbink Pato has defended his role in the deportation orders served on three American Lutheran Church missionaries, saying there was nothing sinister about it.

He was responding to questions from National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop over the deportation orders. 

Parkop said he was speaking on behalf of the missionaries as they had no representation and because they were based in Pato’s Wapenamenda electorate.

“Missionaries have served our country very well. Many of us here in Parliament have benefitted from their services,” he said.

Pato said the issue and the circumstances “had not been properly canvassed in the media”. “The position of the government is that foreigners, whether they are missionaries, volunteers, NGO workers, people on contract, are guests of our people and guests of our government,” he said. 

Pato said a case in point was that of a longtime expatriate missionary who had so many charges against him but people failed to take action.

“What I intend to do in the future is to review the Migration Act and the regulations,” he said.

“When missionaries or NGOs come into this country, they must be made to account, and be seen to act responsibly under the terms and conditions under which they are permitted into our country.