Trinidad Police Detain Several Venezuelans for Illegally Entering the Country
Key Points(5)
- Trinidad and Tobago Police said they have detained 13 people from Venezuela for illegally entering Trinidad and Tobago over the last weekend.
- In a statement, the police said that the illegal Venezuelan immigrants were found hiding near the Erin Fishing Facility, south of Port of Spain on Saturday.
- While the police did not disclose the ages of those detained, media reports said that six children, including a three-month-old baby, were among those held.
- The police said that the Venezuelans are due to be conveyed to the Coast Guard Base at the Heliport in Chaguaramas, west of here, to be placed in quarantine.
- Venezuelans have been fleeing their homeland ever since the United States stepped up its actions to remove President Nicholas Maduro from power and replace him with Opposition Leader Juan Guaido.
Trinidad and Tobago Police said they have detained 13 people from Venezuela for illegally entering Trinidad and Tobago over the last weekend.
In a statement, the police said that the illegal Venezuelan immigrants were found hiding near the Erin Fishing Facility, south of Port of Spain on Saturday.
While the police did not disclose the ages of those detained, media reports said that six children, including a three-month-old baby, were among those held.
The police said that the Venezuelans are due to be conveyed to the Coast Guard Base at the Heliport in Chaguaramas, west of here, to be placed in quarantine.
“This latest report of immigrants being detained follows an incident on Thursday 24th September, 2020, where Police are currently working with the Immigration Division to ascertain the status of 18 Venezuelans and 14 Chinese nationals, who were found to be in contravention of the Public Health Ordinance Regulations following a raid at a sports bar,” the police said in the statement.
Venezuelans have been fleeing their homeland ever since the United States stepped up its actions to remove President Nicholas Maduro from power and replace him with Opposition Leader Juan Guaido.
In 2019, Trinidad’s government provided 16,000 Venezuelans with legal documents allowing them to access employment and reside in the country. They were given an automatic six-month extension and then the registration was extended up to December. Provisions were also previously made for some immigrants to go back to Venezuela and return to have their registration documents.
Representatives from the United Nations have said there is seemingly “no end in sight” to Venezuela’s massive refugee crisis.
