The T&T Government is deporting Venezuelans who have been declared refugees by the United Nations, and this is illegal under international law. This is the claim made by Venezuelan human rights activist Yesenia Gonzalez.
Gonzalez told the Sunday Guardian that children are being separated from their parents and sent back to Venezuela, people degrade Venezuelan women by calling them prostitutes and many Venezuelans are the victims of human trafficking.
Venezuelans are also complaining that although they were officially registered to work in T&T by the Government, they are still being threatened with deportation, she said.
According to Gonzalez, she and other NGOs would like to have a meeting with National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds on the matter.
The Sunday Guardian reached out to the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Port-of-Spain, and the organisation said T&T acceded to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol in November 2000. Accession means a state accepts the offer or the opportunity to become a party to a treaty already negotiated and signed by other states. It has the same legal effect as ratification.
The UNHCR added that those who have been granted refugee status, as well as those whose cases are currently pending final assessment, are given an ID card with a unique registration number.
"Holders of these cards, as recognised refugees and asylum-seekers, should therefore be guaranteed certain international protections and rights as outlined in the 1951 Convention. Article 33 of the 1951 Convention clearly outlines one of the most critical of these rights–the principle of non-refoulement, or the right not to be returned to a place where one may have a well-founded claim that one's life may be in danger.”
Gonzalez said what the T&T Government was doing is not morally or legally right.
“Also, there are those who have the refugee cards issued by the UNHCR and the Government is threatening to deport them. Normally, the court rules that they should be freed as they are UNHCR cardholders. Sometimes Venezuelans are being forced to sign documents they don’t understand and there are orders to have them deported to Venezuela. The authorities here also say that the UNHCR card has no value.”
She said that the reason why Venezuelans are in T&T is that they need “protection” from conditions in Venezuela, and it is sad how they are being treated not only by local authorities but also by ordinary citizens.
“This is about human rights. Children are being separated from their parents and sent back to Venezuela. The incident with the baby being shot on the boat, all those children were sent back to Venezuela without having an investigation done.”
She pointed out that there are international human trafficking rings that bring Venezuelan women to T&T where they are treated as sex slaves.
Gonzalez called upon the T&T Police Service to do more to crack down on these human trafficking rings.
“These women are being abused, they are being raped in T&T, their bodies are being burnt. Many of them are teenagers. The criminals post on Facebook that they are offering jobs in T&T and con these vulnerable young girls into coming here. When they reach and realise it is a trap, it’s too late. These criminals then prostitute these girls in clubs, bars, and restaurants. People on the streets call them prostitutes, but they are not. These poor girls are victims.”
Another problem Venezuelans face in T&T is that many are being underpaid and made to work long hours, she said.
At the same time, she acknowledged that some Venezuelans are involved in criminal activities and should be investigated and deported. But she said most Venezuelans are decent, hard-working people who simply want to work to feed their families.
