Migrants saf

Senior Reporter

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Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says her migrant policy, which is not yet completed, will not be one of mass deportations of migrants.

Speaking with the media at bMobile’s Future Leaders Internship Engagement function at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s, yesterday, Persad-Bissessar said details on the policy will be forthcoming.

“Soon! Not mass deportation, but we are still working on that policy and you will hear about it, maybe by next week. I have people working on it, Homeland Security and others,” Persad-Bissessar said.

In the lead-up to the April 28th General Election, Persad-Bissessar had promised mass deportations for those migrants involved in criminal activities.

During her presentation at the United National Congress’ (UNC) Monday Night Report in Couva, the Prime Minister again raised the issue of migrants, accusing the past government of not properly assessing Venezuelan migrants who sought refugee status in T&T. She claimed billions were spent in the last 10 years, with criminals benefiting.

“This is further worsened by the past administration’s open and unbridled embrace of Venezuelan immigrants who poured across our borders, land and sea, and air. And numbered amongst those were gang members, human traffickers, pimps, high-powered weaponry, a well-organised criminal enterprise.

“That is what they allowed for the last 10 years. There was little, there was no attempt, little or no attempt by our predecessors to sift through immigrants who were legitimately fleeing conditions in Venezuela from those who came here with criminal intent,” she told supporters.

In May, during a post-Cabinet media briefing, the Prime Minister had said her policy would be a fair one when it is announced.

“I said it on the campaign trail we are looking at it. With respect to the Venezuelans who are here, I made the statement, and we are sticking to that. If they are criminals, they will be deported. With respect to others, assessment is taking place with regards to them. It is not like we are going to pick up every one of them and send them back, but criminals will be sent back,” she said then.

Activists relieved

Responding to the assurance that there will be no mass deportations yesterday, activists Angie Ramnarine, coordinator of the La Romaine Migrant Support, and Sofia Figueroa-Leon, founder of the Caribbean Kids and Families Therapy Organisation, welcomed the move.

Ramnarine said, “It sounds very encouraging. I am glad to hear that it will be a fair policy.”

Figueroa-Leon said the news was a “big breath of fresh air.”

She added: “I’m very happy, extremely happy to hear that the migrant programme will not be one of mass deportations.”

Asked what she thought was the reason for the Prime Minister’s supposed switch on migration, Ramnarine surmised it was the pressure from migrant supporters and a lack of funding.

“I think there would have been pressure from all quarters because we have been in limbo too long, especially agencies that work with migrants and especially as we see this shutting down and moving out of things like the UN Human Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and all these international bodies that have to do with migrants.”

In January, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order temporarily suspending all foreign assistance programmes for 90 days. One of the programmes was the US Refugee Admissions Programme (USRAP). This cut in funding led to the closure of UNHCR’s office in the country. August 31st will be its last day in T&T.

Ramnarine added that after the government changed in April, the migrant population was left confused as to what would happen to them.

In 2019, the then People’s National Movement government registered 16,523 Venezuelans migrants in a state-sanctioned programme. The migrants were given permission to work legally and those without a registration cards after that period were deported. The migrants in the programme were given yearly renewals.

However, Figueroa-Leon said the past administration missed out on the opportunity to fully utilise the registered migrants, who included professionals such as doctors and engineers. She said the numbers of migrants coming to the country had reduced significantly since then.

“If these people were given an opportunity, you had dentists, engineers, I mean all kinds, doctors passing through here. When they realise they could not be given an opportunity, they left for countries like Chile, Argentina, all London, Canada, the United States and they are working there. You (the past government) missed the opportunity. It’s a missed opportunity.”