She explained that the government must look at ways to register migrants who have been in Suriname for a very long time. “They contribute to the economy. They work really hard”, said the president. The head of state explained that foreigners who have resided and worked in Suriname for a very long time have become part of society. She pointed out that in many cases these people came to Suriname because of the situation in their country and that they are already deeply rooted in the community. The only point of discussion is their illegal status which is why she wants the government to find out how many people are in Suriname without valid papers and how they can formalize their presence in Suriname. One of the possible options would be to launch a registration process where they could be included in the official system after paying a fee. Suriname can then contact the country they came from to take care of the paperwork. “Most of them have lived here for many years. Others even had children,” said Simons who added that migration must be organized better. The presidents administration therefore wants to work on a system that protects the interests of Suriname and those of the migrants involved.