Rivers admits US passport
(CNS): Education Minister Tara Rivers has admitted that she possesses and has used a United States passport, which she has because she was born in America. As the election petition challenging her qualification to be elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly opened in Grand Court Wednesday, there was standing room only, as many people came to hear the details of the case and to see whether Rivers will or will not retain her West Bay seat. Following arguments over the presentation of further evidence, the petitioner, John Hewitt, was called to the stand, followed by Rivers, when the court heard that she has continued to use a US passport, as alleged in the challenge.
Rivers also admitted to living overseas during the seven year period before the May 22 general election but insisted she was there training and her residence and home was still in West Bay.
Check back to CNS for more from the proceedings this afternoon and full coverage this evening.
Category: Politics
BOND WITH THE U.S.A.
To my knowledge over the past 50 years hundreds of Caymanian children have been born in the United States of America. One of the main reason for this is the many choices of medical facilities that were readily available in the United States. Additionally, many Caymanian families moved to the United States to be near to their husbands who went to sea because there was no work in the Cayman Islands. Although, I was born in Cayman Islands I am a proud parent of two Caymanians who were both born in the United States. Likewise many of my nieces and nephews scattered throughout the United States in schools and universities were born in the United States and carry both U.S. passport and Cayman passport.
Additionally, I would just like to point out that the United States of America has been a blessing to the Caymanian people for many years. Over the past four decades the Cayman Islands has enjoyed the luxury of a tourism industry with the majority of our visitors come from the United States. Our sons and daughters are sent primarily to the United States to be trained in the profession of their choice. Our sick are sent to be healed.
Furthermore, when a hurricane is bearing down on us we run to the United States. After Hurricane Ivan in September 2004 hundreds of children went to the United States primarily to the State of Florida and the Caymanian children were given FREE schooling and FREE lunches!! God bless America.
Since 911 in 2001 ALL persons born in the United States need a valid United States passport to travel to and from the United States. Previous to that the Cayman Islands had thousands of visitors from the U.S. who came here on a birth certificate , drivers licence or some other form of i.d. On the other hand as a result of 911 Caymanians can no longer enter United States as a STUDENT on a waiver!
Our country need to have more of our young people go abroad to train and also to gain the relevant work experience before returning to contribute to the society . More young Caymanians like the Hon. Tara Rivers. God bless you Tara.
God Bless the Red, White and BLUE!!!
I wish people would stop making such a big thing about her USE of a US passport, under US Federal Law, she MUST use her US passport to enter the US…
I am an American citizen, but also have a foreign passport. Can I use my foreign passport to travel to the United States? No. Under U.S. law, U.S. citizens must be in possession of a valid U.S. passport to enter or leave the United States. This is true even if you hold a passport from another country. If your U.S. passport has been lost or stolen, or if it has expired, you must apply to replace it before traveling to the United States.
That's the point precisely. She has an allegiance to another Country!
Actually, no. The question is whether she has "by her own act acknowledged allegiance" to another country. I know the difference will be too subtle for you, but I thought I would correct it anyway.
"Thaaaaaannnnkkkkks" and yes the answer remains the same by her own act of renewing her passport she acknowledged allegiance. Although she could still try to assert that "she didn't read the renewal form" either. The affirmations on the form are quite clear!!!!
Who cares? She is Caymanian! And the best representative West Bay has had for Donkeys years!
Yes, what is a little thing like the law or the constitution anyway? I find her attitude to the declaration, when she would have known that her candidacy was on extremely shaky grounds very worrying and reflects the sort of power-hungry rule-bending that has been too prevalent in Cayman politics for too long.
Miss. Rivers declared that she used the US passport for easy travel. Did she use the US passport to re-enter the Cayman Islands as a US Citizen or did she use a US passport to enter the US and then a Cayman passport to enter the Cayman Islands?
If she used it to re-enter Cayman she would have been given time as a visitor. Duh.
Well then……….Lets see how this playsout. This is very concerning to me and not good for Cayman.
Has she been filing US Tax returns? I imagine the IRS will be looking at this quite closely…
"Training"? She was qualified. The only training she was doing might have been for the London marathon.
Dum dum, you can be qualified in one jurisdiction and still be training.
Tara is an excellent representative for West Bay she is Caymanian by law and an American citizen by birth as is the case with many Caymanians past and present. I would not want to see Ms Rivers loose her seat in the LA because she fought a good clean fight for her seat and won fair and square but if the law is clear about the process and she have to give up her seat then so be it she will be back better and stronger just look at Mr Jim Bodden. Tara fight if you must and let go if you have to. The best is yet to come and I trust that God in all this. In the mean time stand strong and don't give up the fight let them pry thr LA seat from your handsif they have to just don't open your hands and give it to them without a hard fight.
I think your trust is misplaced. I am unaware of an imaginary being having any involvement in the judicial process of these islands.
Can hardly wait to hear the results. This does not look good for Ms. Rivers.
Should we really be allowing commenting on a court case??
CNS: It's a civil case being heard by a judge, not a criminal case before a jury.
Half of all Caymanians have a US passport…especially those born since 1970.
Nothing against law if she has US passport due to birth–so thats one down….her biggest challenge is the 'training' overseas…..and I think she will win that as well.
It is obvious that we should change the Election law to allow Caymanians to work overseas and also to run for office- after all those are the Caymanians with the greatest exposure to how the world works…we need that experience in the LA.
Good luck Tara….XXXX