Since he began travelling to the United States 10 years ago, reggae singer eNGee says he has observed a disparity in the treatment immigration officers mete out to Caribbean nationals compared to persons from other countries.

The St Mary-born eNGee does not believe things have changed much at US airports. He addresses this in Immigrant, his take on one of the most sensitive issues in the United States.

For the past 20 years, liberals and conservatives in the US have aggressively pushed their arguments for, and against, foreigners coming into the country. eNGee, 30, believes there is a distinct bias against people from the Caribbean, particularly Haiti.

Penniless

"When the Cubans come here it's not a problem, but with others like the Haitians it is," eNGee argued. "They (immigration officials) always send them back penniless."

Immigrant has been getting some traction in south Florida, home to large Cuban and Caribbean communities. The self-produced song was released on January 20, the day Barack Obama was inaugurated as the United States' first black president. It has enjoyed steady rotation on WAVS, a leading Caribbean radio station.

The message of Immigrant is worlds apart from previous eNGee songs like Sting Retards, which focused on the controversial Sting show which takes place at the Jamworld complex in Portmore on Boxing Day.

First song

Born Nasheer Garth Walters in the town of Annotto Bay, eNGee has been around for some time. He recorded his first song, God Is My Closest Friend, at age 14 and later recorded as DJ Pickney alongside deejay Merciless on the song, Nah Tek Nuh Talk.

For the past decade, eNGee has called south Florida home, working on major events there, like Sting Miami. Whether his songs are commentaries like Immigrant or tongue-in-cheek (Sting Retards), he says they are not meant to be disposable.

"I don't live for today, wi do everything for long term," he said.

- Howard Campbell