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  • 3 years ago
Forty-six of the over 90 Venezuelan migrants who were deported last month have returned to this country.


And while many of them have returned as they are seeking to obtain asylum in other countries, their attorneys have advised them to contact the Trinidad and Tobago Police, in the interim.

In a letter written to Commissioner of Police Erla Harewood Christopher, attorneys Criston Williams and Blaine Sobrian, who are representing Quantum Legal, highlight the return of their clients, as well as what was perceived as improper and unlawful issuance of deportation orders by the Minister of National Security.


Alexander Bruzyual has more on this story.
Transcript
00:00 Copies of the letter were also sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Prime
00:05 Minister, the UN Refugee Agency and the Police Complaints Authority.
00:10 The attorneys argue that the orders of deportation and/or deportation were wholly and utterly
00:15 improper and illegal, contravening several pieces of legislation including the Immigration
00:20 Act and the International Criminal Court Act and offending the common law.
00:26 They claim that the migrants were forced to sign the deportation orders under threat of
00:30 imprisonment and as a result, the attorneys are once again calling on the Police Commissioner
00:34 to investigate the National Security Minister for Crimes Against Humanity for signing the
00:40 deportation orders.
00:42 They also claim that their clients were not afforded the right as asylum seekers to challenge
00:47 their rejection as provided for under the Immigration Act.
00:51 By serving the complainants with Form 19B orders of deportation, the Minister represents
00:56 that several mandatory administrative steps, processes and procedures were rigidly followed
01:02 by himself, his servants, his personnel and officers under the purview of the Immigration
01:08 Division in accordance with the Immigration Act and the Immigration Regulations.
01:13 However, according to the attorneys for the Venezuelans, the protocols that the Immigration
01:18 Act and the Immigration Regulations dictate before a Form 19B order of deportation was
01:24 issued were almost entirely ignored, neglected and/or bypassed in respect of the complainants.
01:32 About 97 persons were deported on August 12th.
01:35 Sources said that this group also included members of the 196 persons who had been detained
01:41 on July 9th at Apex Bar in St. James.
01:44 Some 30 persons had been released on orders of supervision after attorneys had filed a
01:49 judicial review application on the actions of the state.
01:53 However, before anyone else could be released, the state appealed the decision and was successful.
01:58 On August 12th, the group was moved to the heliport in Chagaramas to Stoubles Bay where
02:04 they were then deported.
02:05 Alexander Brucewell, TV6 News.
02:08 [BLANK_AUDIO]