Attorney: Let Africans stay

ATTORNEY Matthew Gayle yesterday suggested African migrants at the Immigration Detention Centre (IDC) should be allowed to stay in TT for a period similar to the length of time they had been held. While the regularisation of Africans comes on the heels of the Venezuelan migrants being allowed to stay in TT for a year, Gayle said African migrants should be allowed to stay long term.

Gayle, of New City Chambers in Port of Spain, has acted for IDC inmates from Africa, Dominica and Dominican Republic.

He welcomed the Prime Minister’s attention to the plight of Africans, but noted a lack of detail in Dr Rowley’s remarks on Thursday where he cited the high cost of deportation as a reason for African IDC detainees to stay in TT.

“It is something that I’m certainly going to be monitoring very closely, on my clients’ behalf. The Prime Minister really said very little about what is the nature of this regularisation,” Gayle said.

“What would be interesting is to see if they would be any redress or acknowledgement for persons who have spent considerable amounts of time in the IDC and in not particularly good conditions.”

Newsday asked if Africans should get a year reprieve to stay in TT as given to Venezuelans. Gayle replied, “Some have been in custody for a significant time, a year or two years, with the reason given that funds are not available to send them home. Will they be given a similar amount of time, at least a finite amount of time, before they are repatriated? Is there going to be any consideration given to persons who have been in this country for a long time to be offered a long-term form of consideration?”

He noted that parts of Africa were welcoming Caribbean people and said this region could reciprocate.

Asked what he meant by redress, he said, “I’m not necessarily speaking in monetary terms, but whether any accommodation would be made or any concession be given for persons who were incarcerated for a significant period of time.” He said many Africans had spent longer at the IDC than the time Venezuelans had been affected by their country’s crisis.

Newsday asked about financial redress. “I think it is clear that for persons who have been incarcerated unlawfully, the duty of the Government is to deport as soon as is practicable.

“Those persons who have been detained unlawfully are entitled to monetary redress. That’s a matter of law.”