Can the ministry register 40,000?

THE EDITOR: The Government has put in place a plan to register Venezuelans. Undoubtedly, it is a necessary evil. It begs the question, however, whether the Government will also fast track the applications of people born in TT who have filed for restoration of citizenship. The New York consulate states there is a backlog of applications from ten years ago.

While it is admirable that the Ministry of National Security has set out to register 40,000 Venezuelans or whatever the number is, one wonders why it has a ten-year backlog of born Trinidadians/Tobagonians waiting for restoration of citizenship.

I submit that if the ministry is overwhelmed with a significantly less number of people who have filed for restoration of citizenship, it is definitely not equipped to register 40,000 Venezuelans, notwithstanding its request for a budget of $5 million.

TONY SMITH, Mt Lambert