Three sex offenders, a convicted murderer, a human trafficker, and several immigration violators are among 21 Trinidadian nationals set to be deported from the United States this Friday, May 23. The group also includes individuals convicted of a variety of other offences.
The deportees—17 men and 4 women—are currently in U.S. immigration custody and will be flown back to Trinidad and Tobago on a special charter flight, coordinated in collaboration with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This marks the second batch of deportees returned to the country this year, following the repatriation of 11 nationals on March 28.
Defence Minister Wayne Sturge spoke with the Trinidad Guardian on Tuesday, confirming the nature of the offences and outlining the government’s preparations to receive the group.
When asked whether the sex offenders identified by U.S. authorities would be required to register locally upon arrival, Sturge admitted that legislative changes would be necessary.
“We’ll need an amendment for that and we’ll see what could be done in the interim but after the discussions (with US immigration authorities), we realised that there are bits of legislation, some more than 10 years old, that need to be proclaimed and there are bits of legislation in need of amendments.”
The Ministry of Homeland Security previously confirmed that ICE had requested a single charter flight to streamline the deportation process.
Sturge also warned that Friday’s flight may only be the beginning.
He said he expects an “avalanche” of deportees given what was going on in the current ICE drive in the US. As such, he said he had met with and would continue to meet with local stakeholders to facilitate the smooth transition of the deportees.
In January, Giselle Chance, CEO of the NGO Vision on Mission, revealed that approximately 1,197 nationals are expected to be deported from the U.S., raising concerns about local capacity to house and support them. The organization, which focuses on the rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners and deportees, is reportedly nearing full capacity.
Sturge acknowledged the concern, stating that alternative housing is being explored. Among the potential options is the Piparo Empowerment Centre, a former property of convicted drug lord Nankissoon “Dole Chadee” Boodram, though the facility is currently in a state of disrepair.
He emphasized the importance of preparing for increasing numbers, saying:
“We are trying to anticipate numbers (that are coming back) and what we need to put in place in terms of infrastructure because we are near capacity.”
To streamline processing and reintegration, Sturge said he hopes the U.S. Embassy will provide detailed dossiers on the deportees ahead of their return—including fingerprints, DNA samples, and local connections.
“The first thing we have to do is an assessment… We’ve not received a response just yet, so that we can have as much information in advance… possibly to have them fingerprinted abroad and possibly even swabbed.”
Responding to the situation, former National Operations Centre executive director Garvin Heerah expressed concern over the country’s preparedness, stating that current systems may not be able to manage the complex needs of the returning nationals.
He called for a coordinated, multi-agency strategy involving immigration, law enforcement, social services, health, intelligence, and international liaisons to handle the repatriation and reintegration process effectively.
