T&T to deport 200 Venezuelans

T&T to deport 200 Venezuelans
PM announces crackdown on illegal immigrants; also says Govt to upgrade Cedros Coast Guard facility and deploy more surveillance vessels

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says Government is set to deport some 200 Venezuelans now incarcerated in T&T’s jails.She also said the Coast Guard facilities at Cedros are being upgraded and vessels are being provided so that they can respond to human and drug trafficking in our waters.Persad-Bissessar has also blanked a call from Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro for T&T to assist in the search for the remains of 11 alleged Tren de Aragua members killed in a US Navy strike on a pirogue off Venezuela last week.

“That (boat which was destroyed) was not a civilian vessel. The drugs on that boat bring death to persons here, destroy families and careers, fractures our society. Those drugs bring more death and despair than conventional weapons. We’re in a war against drugs and trafficking. There will be consequences,” Persad-Bissessar told Guardian Media yesterday, following Petro’s social media post on the issue.

“I much prefer seeing drug and gun traffickers blown to pieces than seeing hundreds of our citizens murdered each year because of drug-fuelled gang violence.”Petro’s concerns on T&T and Persad-Bissessar’s response were the latest developments arising from the recent US military deployment of warships and a nuclear-powered submarine to the region in its crackdown on drug cartels in the Southern Caribbean region.T&T is part of the US-led international coalition backing the crackdown on drug cartels. Guyana, Ecuador, Paraguay and Argentina are also part of the initiative, which is being supported by Belize.

Sando, Cedros ports see steep drop in trade, passenger traffic


T&T is seeing fewer Venezuelan boats, fewer goods and passengers arriving, and significantly less trade at its San Fernando and Cedros ports.Nationally, commerce has fallen by over 50 per cent in recent years, with data from the United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics Database showing a 56 per cent drop in bilateral trade between both countries in 2017 and 2024.The downturn, partly driven by escalating tensions between Venezuela and the United States in recent times, is being felt on the ground as fisherfolk and Customs officers report a marked decline in maritime activity.

At the San Fernando port yesterday, a lone Venezuelan cargo boat stood anchored at sea. Venezuelans had been awaiting paperwork to offload a cargo of lumber since Monday.A source at the Customs and Excise Division, who requested anonymity, said only two Venezuelan cargo boats now dock monthly, bringing in articles of clothing and wood. In times gone by, up to three cargo boats came weekly to the Kings Wharf port, bringing in pottery, bags, plastic chairs, lumber, and clothing.

However, the source said recent tensions between Venezuela and the United States were not the reason why trade has dwindled. He said since the Venezuelan economy started to improve, many families returned to their homeland.“This was happening long before the Venezuelan minister called our Government shameless for siding with the US,” the source said.Meanwhile, at the Cedros port, Guardian Media was told that passenger traffic has also been declining