Dickson C. Igwe. Photo: VINO/File

However, he was ambiguous in his assertions and failed to offer solutions.

The first missing link in the population control chain is the lack of demographic information on the Virgin Islands population: the where, when, why, what, who and how. This is where a census and the exertions of the statistical office are critical.

A national identity card must be required for all residents and aliens, attached to police records and various agencies such as the NHI and Social Security. This is basic common sense for an archipelago with very porous borders.

This writer has preached on the need for an identity card for decades. What does an identity card achieve? For one it assists the police in managing crime. Police can demand that suspicious persons produce the card. It is like a driver’s license.

It is required a driver’s license be produced on demand. Failure to produce the card should result in immediate arrest and detention.

Immigration officers should require all aliens to carry the card on their person to show their migration status. If a migrant is in the Virgin Islands illegally, they will be unable to produce the card.

The migrant is detained and deported.