The tiny Caribbean nation of St. Kitts and Nevis is hardly a hot bed of jihadis. But last month it banned Syrians from their citizenship program; a program that would have given them visa-free travel throughout much of the European Union. For a mere $250,000, a Syrian could have bought a St. Kitts passport, never set up residency or even travel to the island, and then after about six months hightail it to Europe and roam free through the Schengen zone, a visa-free travel area stretching from Greece to Norway.
St. Kitts is just one way in. Now that door is closed.
But an even bigger door is closing, and conservative nationalists in Europe are pushing it shut, aching to lock the door and throw away the key to a migrant crisis that shows no signs of abating.
E.U. interior ministers agreed Friday to suspend the Schengen border-free area, reintroducing border controls for up to two years, according to German language reports by Der Spiegel and Reuters. Ministers also agreed to a compromise with the European Parliament over long-running plans to introduce a passenger name record database, something similar to what U.S. presidential contender Donald Trump touted recently. Europe is still struggling to find compromise on a German plan to redistribute 160,000 refugees around Europe. Only 159 refugees have been moved, according to Open Europe, a business and policy intelligence firm.
Meanwhile, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière said that the European Commission will table a proposal by December 15, which will give Frontex – the EU’s border agency – beefed up powers to guard the EU’s external border if a member state is unable to do so. Separately, Passauer Neue Presse reports that the number of unprocessed asylum claims by Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees has risen to 356,000 in November.
That same month, St. Kitts Prime Minister Timothy Harris HRS -0.51% said Syrians were banned from its Citizenship by Investment Program. Those accepted had visa-free travel throughout all of the Schengen area countries of Europe.
Syrian refugees went from acceptance to outright rejection in just two short months. Europeans, led by the Germans, were welcoming Syrians by the truck load back in September when a Syrian child was found washed up dead on the Turkish shore. Last month’s terrorist attack by ISIS jihadis in Paris put a quick end to the goodwill and now what was once merely a humanitarian crisis has now become a question of international security among nations that have agreed to house Syrians.
Syrians were not involved in the attacks in Paris, but at least one of the killers had gone to Syria for training.
The security of a country’s borders remains top priority, Harris said in Washington last week while meeting with Caribbean government representatives.
Saint Kitts and Nevis’ Prime minister Timothy Harris (L) arrives for an EU-CELAC summit in Brussels on June 10, 2015 at the European Union headquarters in Brussels. His country provides visa free travel to European nations that are part of the Schengen area. Harris banned Syrians from obtaining dual citizenship from his tiny island nation on Nov. 24, 2015. (Photo by THIERRY CHARLIER/AFP/Getty Images)
“Today’s perilous times call for heightened security measures-both from government bodies and the global citizen,” said Lanny Davis, executive vice president at LEVICK Communications and former White House counsel.
There are other dual citizens programs, including e-citizenship programs in Estonia, a member of the E.U., which would allow for Syrians to invest in order to gain citizenship status. Estonia has not suspended its citizenship program for rich Syrians.
While the vast majority of refugees do not have the money to pay for citizenship, governments are wary that well-funded terrorist organizations could stitch together the funds required to become foreign investors. St. Kitts’ decision might lead citizenship programs to be suspended elsewhere.
“I think the Schengen is fragmenting before our very eyes,” says Vladimir Signorelli, the head of Bretton Woods Research in Long Valley, New Jersey. “It means we are approaching a time where there will be less of a free flow of goods and travel in Europe because of the migrant crisis and terrorism fears. Trade won’t stop, but there will be impediments and I don’t think anyone sees this improving until we see a real policy to protect Europe’s outer borders.” Article http://www.forbes.com/
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