The approach to the case involving the Mennonites and their deportation is a good start. Suriname also has rules that foreigners must comply with. But those rules must apply to everyone.
There are also concerns about illegal residence among Cubans, Colombians, Haitians and Brazilians. The exact size of these groups is unclear. There are official figures, but do they provide a complete picture?
According to the minister’s statement, the Mennonite group involved had already been approached for a year about their documents and place of residence, without sufficiently concrete results. Action is then understandable. At the same time, the fact that families with young babies are involved calls for care and humane treatment.
Who arranged their arrival?
But the investigation must go further. How did these people enter Suriname? With which documents? Who arranged their arrival? Who checked whether their residence and any work were permitted? Has the person who brought them here meanwhile been summoned to provide an explanation?
Not everyone was deported immediately
In other cases of illegal residence, deportation did not always follow immediately. Three examples make this clear.
During inspections at two apartment complexes in Paramaribo in June 2022, people whose permitted period of residence had expired received a warning and a summons to put their documents in order.
During hotel inspections, reported on August 1, 2025, 25 Cubans, one Guyanese and two Brazilians, among others, were found to be staying illegally in Suriname. Their passports were confiscated and they were required to report monthly. The report did not mention immediate deportation.
The annual report of the Openbaar Ministerie (OM, Public Prosecution Service) for the period from August 2024 to August 2025 shows that four out of one hundred registered Cubans were deported. The remaining 96 were registered under ‘FI/reporting obligation’. No deportation was registered for three Haitians.
These figures say nothing about their current residence status, but do show that at the time not everyone was deported.
These examples do not in themselves prove selective treatment. However, they do call for an explanation: which criteria determine who is given the opportunity to put their documents in order and who is deported?
From policy plans to concrete implementation
There is a National Migration Policy Plan. Having a plan is a good start, but then the real work must begin: implementation, monitoring and enforcement.
Consider also the Nationale Milieu Autoriteit (National Environmental Authority) and the regulation of the gold sector.
What concrete results do the plans and measures produce? How is it prevented that illegal activities simply continue after an inspection? As long as violations persist, referring to plans and agencies is insufficient.
Also tackle illegal activities in the interior
Illegal residence, working without a permit and mining without authorisation must also be investigated in the interior. Those who organise or facilitate these activities must also be held accountable.
The action involving the Mennonites must not remain an isolated operation.
Suriname must now move towards concrete implementation: following up cases, carrying out inspections, tackling violations and making results public.
Humane where rectification is possible and consistent where rules are violated. With the same rules for everyone.
