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  • 1 year ago
CARICOM officials and the International Organization for Migration are meeting in Port of Spain this week, to formulate a Regional Approach to a Migration Policy in the Caribbean.

On day-one, TV6 News spoke with the National Security Minister to find out how the Government is balancing assisting migrants with the challenge of national security.

The National Security Minister says that, for example, where migration from Venezuela or Colombia is concerned, sometimes, gang members arrive among those simply seeking a better life.

He says these are matters law enforcement constantly has to take into account.

Juhel Browne reports.
Transcript
00:00During the opening ceremony of the three-day workshop focused on finding a
00:04regional approach to a migration policy in the Caribbean that began on Monday at
00:09the Hilton Trinidad Hotel, thoughts were expressed for those recovering from the
00:14passage of Hurricane Beryl in the region last week among the speakers CARICOM
00:19Assistant Secretary General Alison Drayton. It is very evident that the
00:24region has been facing and will continue to face various challenges that affect
00:28all of the lives and livelihoods of our citizens. Coming from climate change the
00:35last week has been a very unwelcome reminder of the challenges but I think
00:44provides an impetus to us to move speedily on elaborating the framework.
00:51Michel Klein-Solomon, Director of the Department of Data at the International
00:56Organization for Migration, the IOM, spoke about finding the right balance.
01:01It is of course the sovereign right of states to determine their own migration
01:07policies in conformity with international law. IOM is here to help
01:13that process at global, regional, national, and local levels as governments and the
01:22international community grapple with multiple overlapping crises while
01:28striving to achieve the sustainable development goals. We spoke with the
01:34National Security Minister to get the government's position about one key
01:39challenge with regard to the issue of migration. While many migrants arrive in
01:44Trinidad and Tobago seeking employment towards their goals of a better life
01:48there is the challenge of those who are on a different path. How does the
01:53government find that balance in dealing with the issue of migration and then the
01:58issue of dealing with national security? Yeah that's a really genuinely sensible
02:04and good question. This is the issue, this is what government is. Different
02:09individuals, different sectors in the society, in the economy, different
02:15religious groups have different perspectives on the same matter. The
02:21government's business is to take all of the matters into account and to try to
02:26find the widest and the deepest national or public interest. Minister Hines spoke
02:33of Trinidad and Tobago's commitment to being part of the international
02:36community as the nation continues to grapple with a high level of gun
02:41violence which includes murders. Because as we have migration from Venezuela for
02:46an example or Colombia, the people who come are not always the most congenial
02:54and sociable person. Sometimes gang members come among them and therefore we
03:01have these matters that constantly take into account. During his speech the
03:06National Security Minister spoke about the government's migrant registration
03:09framework established in 2019. Which allowed regular and irregular Venezuelan
03:17and all other migrants in Trinidad and Tobago to register with the state
03:24allowing them at the same time to work and live here. We didn't put them in
03:34camps anyplace, keep them in those conditions. They are allowed to roam, some
03:41marry Trinbagonians. Minister Hines also said the government very recently
03:46amended the immigration regulations to allow primary school-age children of
03:50those registered in the migrant registration framework to be able to
03:55attend the public schools in Trinidad and Tobago. In responding to the question
03:59posed by TV6 News, the National Security Minister said while most of the
04:04migrants registered, some did not. In the context of our policy which I outlined
04:09this morning, those who do not deserve the protection of the Constitution and
04:14the laws of Trinidad and Tobago will and have been repatriated to wherever they
04:20would have come from. The National Security Minister said that on a daily
04:24basis the state receives several applications from those seeking to
04:28become citizens of Trinidad and Tobago. Jule Brown, TV6 News.
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