UNC renews call for a Comprehensive Refugee Policy

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UNC renews call for a Comprehensive Refugee Policy

The United National Congress is once again renewing its five year old call for a comprehensive refugee policy, that is humane, consensually developed, acknowledges our international treaty obligations and the skills gaps in our country, is consistent with our laws and global best practices, and most importantly recognizes the limits of our absorptive capacity.

This, according to a statement by MP Rodney Charles, must be the first order of business for the recently appointed JSC on Foreign Affairs.

He said “We cannot continue to operate by “vaps” on this important matter.
“If we have a clear and well communicated refugee policy, then there will be no ambiguity regarding our country’s position on a number of situations likely to arise with our Venezuelan migrants/refugees.
Only then will all local and foreign parties be fully apprised of our policy and the reasoning behind it.”

“Local NGOs and stakeholders like the TTCG, the TTPS, our Immigration Department, our Parliament and our citizenry will be in no doubt as to what is required of them in a variety of situations such as arose recently with the deportation of Venezuelans including children and a 4 month old baby.

Charles said “As it stands our refugee policy is developed on the fly, seemingly by the PM taking his own counsel, without full ventilation of the issues, and in reaction to ongoing events.”

The UNC is also calling for the government to have at hand critical hard data to inform this policy and a serious policy to lock down our borders. Those deported returned almost immediately.

“As it stands we do not know the number of Venezuelans in TT. We are not aware of how many Venezuelan children are born here and therefore entitled to all rights of citizenship. Will we keep their children born here but deport their parents? We have not given thought to what will happen after the registration process runs its course nor have we prepared our schools for teaching bi-lingual pupils.”

Naparima MP is calling on Dr. Rowley to emulate Barbados’ Mia Mottley in the quality, depth, tone, reasonableness and maturity of her utterances. PM Mottley speaks, articulates and deliberates in measured, well-constructed phrases — befitting a world class diplomat.

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