A matter of self-interest

TOMORROW’S marking of World Refugee Day comes at a time when refugee policy is more crucial than ever.

When we think of refugees, asylum seekers, displaced or stateless individuals we tend to think of such people as charitable causes. Any assistance is an act of generosity.

The Government’s move to extend the asylum granted to registered Venezuelans could be understood as a kindly concession, given the covid19-caused disruption experienced on both sides of the Gulf of Paria.

In truth, the move is instrumental to our own safety. And as much as it is a welcome reprieve, the State should do more than simply shift the expiration date on a card.

At the end of 2019’s registration process, 16,523 Venezuelans got permits to stay and work in this country. But thanks to the pandemic, their employment dried up. The recreation sector was badly hit. Short-term, minimum wage jobs evaporated.

Citizens can apply for grants. Venezuelans cannot. They are left to face a life with no work, no food, no housing. How are they to pay for medicine?

A three-month extension means little in such circumstances. It means even less given bureaucratic delays that frustrate things like the timely collection of registration cards.

The people of TT can be hostile to the notion of outsiders taking up limited national resources.

But such an attitude disregards the fact that we are often in that position ourselves, as demonstrated by the daily briefings on hundreds of nationals anxious to return home after being stuck abroad.

That attitude also ignores the unique challenges Venezuelans face. The language barrier is one thing, xenophobia is another. Both are major factors in why they decline medical treatment when they need it most.

With alarming signs of a second covid19 wave emerging globally, there are further considerations.

A possible source of infection is through the route of undocumented people. The 32 Venezuelans who were intercepted off the coast of Cedros last month were likely the tip of the iceberg.

Such people might conceivably make landfall and spread covid19 through their networks and communities. All will be afraid to show their faces at hospitals.

That makes it more dangerous for all of us.

So the State needs to devise a clearer, stronger framework to support refugees in times like these.

What about the 1951 Refugee Convention? We are party to that UN document, which sets out a refugee’s “right to public relief and assistance.”

At the very least, this should translate into substantial state support, perhaps delivered in collaboration with private-sector groups and religious bodies.

In the end, this is not just a matter of philanthropy. It is a matter of enlightened self-interest.