Judge stops deportation of 2 V'zuelan women

A HIGH COURT judge has stopped the deportation of two Venezuelan women.

Justice Ricky Rahim stopped the deportation of Yoselin Pacheco Tourasi and Annys Maria Blanco Perez to Porlamar, Venezuela, pending the determination of an application for judicial review filed by the two.

Rahim also ordered the Chief Immigration Officer to put the two on an order of supervision or conditional release until he hears their applications. Immigration officials have also been restrained from removing the two from TT.

The matter comes up again on Thursday in the Port of Spain High Court.

According to a certificate of urgency filed on behalf of the two by attorneys Amit Mahabir, Shirvani Ramkissoon, Joseph Sookoo, and Lemuel Murphy, the two women entered TT on March 21 through Piarco International Airport. They were denied entry and were detained for almost six days at a Trincity guesthouse.

Attorneys for the group filed writs of habeas corpus seeking their release and their applications came up for hearing before Justice Jacqueline Wilson. However, before the judge could hear submissions on the case, the Immigration Division granted them and six others conditional release.

They said in August, relatives in Venezuela told them there were looting and riots and no basic food supplies, such as bread, rice or sugar. The two women also said there were no jobs, water, medicine, and the South American country was rife with fights, persecution and killings. According to the document, the salary of the average Venezuelan was US$4.

The two applied to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for refugee status on August 27 and received UNHCR registration cards on August 28 and 29.

They said they reported to the Immigration Division on August 30 and were issued orders of supervision with specific conditions attached and an order to verify their departure to Porlamar on September 1. They were required to be at Piarco Airport at 11.40 am on Sunday.

Attorneys for the two then approached the courts after they received no response to a pre-action protocol letter sent to the Chief Immigration Officer on Friday.