International condemnation of the treatment of Venezuelan nationals, including 16 children, continues to rise as the United Nations Human Rights Office condemned the decision to deport the group over the weekend, the Trinidad Guardian said yesterday.
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Liz Throssell in a post to their social media page yesterday said the UN was “deeply concerned at the decision by Trinidad and Tobago to deport 16 Venezuelan children and nine adults at the same time as an application was being lodged against their removal.”
Throssell added, “With regard to refugee and migrant children, States have a special duty of care – the best interests of the child must be a primary consideration in all decisions affecting them.
Children should never be forcibly deported based on their, or their parents’, migration status. The precondition to any return involving a child is that an independent and impartial decision has been taken, involving child protection officials and that a return is a sustainable solution that will ensure the rights, welfare and best interests of the child.”
Citing the Convention on the Rights of the Child the statement continued: “We, therefore, call on the Trinidad and Tobago authorities to safeguard the human rights of refugee and migrant children regardless of their status, including by ensuring access to due process and procedural safeguards, consistent with the principle of non-refoulement.”
The UN again urged that governments should suspend all forced returns amid the COVID-19 pandemic to safeguard the health of migrants and in particular children.
Meanwhile, Venezuela has invited Trinidad and Tobago Government officials to a meeting to discuss matters between the two countries.
The request was made by President Nicolas Maduro, confirmed by Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza.
“On the instructions of President Nicolás Maduro, we convened the neighbouring Government of Trinidad and Tobago to a necessary working meeting to review issues of security, human mobility, the fight against crime and drug trafficking,” Arreaza said in a message on Twitter, according to the Trinidad Guardian.
He did not say when the meeting is to take place but added that it will be the second such meeting in four months.
OAS
Earlier yesterday Trini-dadian Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley issued a statement on the issue of migrants from Venezuela who are continuing to flee their country and travel by boat to Trinidad.
“Why should we be surprised?” he asked in a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister.
“The OAS under its misguided President (Luis) Almagro has been almost singlehandedly responsible for triggering and fueling the current Venezuelan situation and these public officials have virtually declared war on Trinidad and Tobago for having the temerity to have not joined Elliot Abrams and President Trump in forcing violent regime change in Venezuela” said Rowley.
He said that “Trinidad and Tobago is currently under the latest assault, using nameless, faceless people armed with innocent children, to try and force us to accept their understanding of “refugee status and international treaty” where a little island nation of 1.3 million people must be expected to maintain open borders to a next door neighbour of 34 million people even during a pandemic.
He said that it is a matter, not for the OAS, but for the people of Trinidad and Tobago.
“Currently we have closed our borders even to our own citizens in this pandemic and would resist all efforts by others who are hell bent on forcing open our borders through illegal immigration.
Under the rubric of “humanitarian” this interpretation, if accepted, will effectively prise open our borders to every economic migrant, gun runner, drug dealer, human trafficker and South American gang leader/members. All they will be required to do is make the 7 mile boat trip and claim to be “refugees”. “
He said that government staunchly support the work of the United Nations “but this threat and the persistent disregard for the outstanding humanitarian efforts extended by the people of Trinidad and Tobago, do not conform with the spirit and purpose of the UNHCR.
It is our little island nation which facilitated the registration of 16,000 Venezuelan migrants and even as we ourselves are struggling to cope with our own difficulties we have afforded them comfort, aid and opportunity.
He said: “If after all that, our nation’s image is to be tarnished through the facilitation of illegal penetration of our borders then certainly, that will be the unkindest cut of all. I call on all the people of Trinidad and Tobago to continue to be the humane and caring people that we have demonstrated that we are, as we do not demonize our migrant neighbors but we all continue to be protected by the laws of Trinidad and Tobago.”
