By Grace Q. Bryant
Nimba County District 7 Representative, Musa Bility, has proposed to the House of Representatives (HoR) a bill to amend the Liberian Alien and Nationality Law of 2022.
Rep. Bility’s communication was read yesterday at the 10th day sitting of the 1st quarter of the 1st session of the HoR of the 55th Legislature of the Republic of Liberia.
According to him, the submission is an omnibus bill that would revise and codify all of the laws relating to immigration, naturalization, and nationality.
Bility stated that the bill undertakes a general revision and modernization of these laws that are needed, and long overdue, particularly concerning citizenship, immigration, and naturalization, and seek to provide a policy that is in tune with the current global realities that take us a step forward, especially given the crying need for reform in this area.
“In recent years, our citizenship, immigration, and naturalization policy has become a matter of major national concern, with questions about its effect on our national and cultural fabric,” Bility said.
He asserted, “What we do in this area is vital to the continued growth and development in our quest for a unification among Liberians, critical to our economic and social strength, pertinent to the conduct of our foreign relations, and most importantly, critical to our responsibilities of moral leadership in the struggle for unity.”
“This bill recognizes the great domestic and international significance of our citizenship, immigration, and naturalization policies, and takes a step to improve existing laws to alleviate the perpetuation of division that hampers the efforts we are making to rally support for unification, and decrease the repressive and inhumane aspects of our immigration procedures by removing restrictions on citizenship of natural born Liberians and their children, removing unnecessary barriers to immigration and naturalization, and proposing alternative immigration and migration requirements,” he noted.
The Nimba County lawmaker noted that the bill also strikes down the marks of prejudice and removes repressive measures directed at all who seek a new and better life within our borders.
The bill also addresses the need to remove archaic and colonial references to Black people and women.
“Today, it seems that we are still “protecting” ourselves, as we were in 1876, during the colonial and slave period, against being flooded by immigrants and even diaspora Liberians,” he explained.
He expressed that however the period has long since ended, “We do not need to be protected in this manner. On the contrary, we need to open our doors and welcome citizenship, immigration, and naturalization, as a means to economic development and growth.”
“In no other area of our nation’s laws are we so encumbered by the dead hand of the past, as we are in our citizenship, immigration, and naturalization policies,” he said.
“We must not limit our social growth or hold our economic growth to the environment of 1876, but rather, we should welcome progress and change to meet changing conditions in every sphere of life,” he emphasized.
According to him, this is the time to start shaking off the dead weight of past mistakes – the time to develop laws on citizenship, immigration, and naturalization, which are a true reflection of the ideals we proclaim to stand for.
“This was a major win for Liberia. We must continue the work to further create laws not to keep people out, but to bring qualified and productive people in and find better ways to meet the immigration challenges of the 1870s that are so prevalent in our Alien and Nationality Laws.”
He noted, “We must not restrict the inalienable rights of natural born Liberians, who have taken on the citizenship of other countries but not denounced Liberian citizenship, to serve their country as elected officials. We must, instead, recognize the conditions and necessities that compelled our citizens in the diaspora to seek citizenship elsewhere in the world and not subject them and their children to discriminatory practices.”
He maintained, “We must adequately deal with the provisions of our existing laws related to the qualifications of aliens and immigrants for admission and the administration of the laws. We must not make it difficult for people of character and investors to enter and become resident aliens of our country.”
“We must, instead, remove the looming threat of surreptitious deportation at any moment that makes resident aliens frightened to invest and/or cause capital flight,” he added.
“We must not exhibit the distrust evidenced in the current laws for citizens and aliens alike, especially at a time when we need unity at home, the confidence of our citizens abroad, and the support of our foreign investors residing in country,” he noted.
He concluded, “We have adequate and fair provisions in our present law to protect us against the entry of criminals. Our attention must instead be drawn to enforcing those provisions instead of keeping or creating antiquated mechanisms to keep our doors closed in the name of “protection”.
He however urged his colleagues of the 55th House of Representatives to approve the amendment to strengthen them both at home and abroad.
