Minister Responds to Airport Firearm Incident

Police are explaining why they chose discretion after briefly detaining an American businessman at the Philip Goldson International Airport for traveling with a firearm in his luggage. The man was later released, and the weapon confiscated, but the decision is raising eyebrows. So where does the Minister of Immigration stand on the issue? We put the question to him today.

 

Kareem Musa, Minister of Immigration

“So the ministry of immigration does not have purview over what you bring into the country. That is for customs and the police department. From what I am informed, based on media reports, he brought in the firearm into the country and was allowed to leave after that. The Immigration Department can only allow you to leave if you are cleared by the department. Clearly he was cleared by the department before he left.”

 

The Immigration Minister says his department simply clears travelers to leave once police and customs have done their part, adding that in this case, the businessman was cleared before departing the country.