(Trinidad Express) – Caricom Governments are examining the issue ‘of reciprocal’ arrangements for the deportation of criminals.

This was revealed by National Security Minister Martin Joseph at Thursday’s post-Cabinet meeting conference at the Diplomatic Centre, in St Ann’s.

Joseph said, “some (Caricom) states… “are now realising that it costs them so much to incarcerate people. So what they are doing is that instead of incarcerating them, they are encouraging them…to just put them on a plane and send them back. That is something that is being considered and we (in Trinidad and Tobago) are paying close attention to that because you can imagine what that is going to do…to our vexing (crime) problem”.

Asked whether this country had a policy of also deporting nationals from other countries who commit crimes, Joseph said that was one of the issues that come up at the recently concluded Council of National Security Ministers meeting. “We are looking at the possibility of reciprocal arrangements,” he said.

He said 17 or 19 persons were deported “two or three days ago”. He said at least one of these deportees had served a sentence for murder. (The deportees are sent back after serving their sentences in the US).

He said the Ministry received prior notice about who were the persons, what were the crimes they committed and the time of their arrival. He said in another few days, another group of deportees would be sent back to this country. He said the Ministry had put in place mechanisms to deal with them because in some instances the deportees had no relationship (apart from birth) to Trinidad and Tobago, having migrated so long ago. He said the Ministry liaises with Social Development to ensure that there is a roof over their heads and thereafter other mechanisms are put in place, he assured.

He said coming out of the Fifth Summit of the Americas, the US gave a commitment to discuss this issue with Caricom and the region was currently preparing for a “high-powered security dialogue”, later this year. This meeting would be aimed at “finding ways and means of mitigating the challenges the region faces as a result of these deportees”. “Because,” he noted, “it is very unlikely that the American Government would stop sending back persons who are from the region and have been engaged in criminal activities while in US”.