Still no word on Gibbons's nationality
The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) is still unable to determine the nationality of Edgar Garfield Gibbons, who was deported as a Guyanese to Guyana. Public Affairs Officer for the Houston District of the INS, Luisa Aquino, told Stabroek News that despite her request she was yet to be given any further information. She also could not say what would be the next step. On Thursday, Aquino had said that INS would have been able to say within 48 hours what Gibbons's nationality was. The 48 hours expired on Saturday. The US Embassy here also said last week that based on the information Gibbons had provided on oath, it could not issue him with any documents since it had been unable to verify his birth in the US or information about his parents. Gibsons says that he was born in Monroe, Louisiana and that his father Byfield Gibbons had died in Vietnam in 1968, and his mother, Belinda, had died of natural causes in 1969. Gibbons was deported to Guyana on April 28, 1999 as a Guyanese after he had served a year in jail for marijuana possession. It was his second conviction for such an offence. He claims that he was told that he was a Guyanese by the immigration officials who despite his denials processed him as such. Aquino told Stabroek News that Gibbons had requested to be sent to Guyana after the Belize government had refused to accept him. She said that Belize had been his first choice when he was asked which country he wanted to be deported to. Gibbons's particulars were sent to the Guyana Consulate, New York, which issued travel documents based on the information submitted by the US Immigration. No official of the consulate had the opportunity to interview Gibbons. Meanwhile, the Gibbons who migrated to the US in 1978, is now living in New Jersey. He had lost his social security card about 16 years ago and was issued with another. Gibbons's social security number was last used in December 1999, by a Jeffrey C. Dunton Jr. This number is not the number given on the immigration document which the INS used to obtain a travel document for Gibbons from the Guyana Consulate, New York.
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