Foreign Affairs Minister: Mercenaries exploiting migrant women, children

Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne has said this country does not intend to be "drawn into the internal political contests of other countries, nor are we disposed to respond to their various participants."

His tenor of his statement issued on Friday was less combative than statements on Wednesday by the Prime Minister, which accused the Organisation of American States of "triggering and fuelling" the migrant crisis in Trinidad and Tobago.

Dr Rowley charged the OAS with "virtually declaring war" on this country for not joining US special envoy Elliot Abrams and US President Donald Trump to force a violent regime change in Venezuela.

US ambassador Joseph Mondello said any blame for the migrant crisis sat squarely on the shoulders of the Maduro regime and not the US administration nor the OAS.

The comments followed the arrest of 25 Venezuelans, including 16 children, whom the Coast Guard escorted aboard two pirogues back to the international maritime border on Sunday. The group returned to this country hours later and the matter is now before the High Court.

Browne did not make any mention of the request by the Maduro administration for a meeting to discuss the issue and said previously that no official request had been made.

Venezuela's Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza, in a tweet, late Wednesday said that country was seeking a second meeting with TT to discuss the migrant issue.

In his statement, Browne said this country was doing all it could "to overcome a pandemic that remains a clear and present danger to the globe."

In relation to the latest case involving the group of 26, Browne said the courts are now considerating a recent situation: "We await the full determination of this matter within our legal system and reserve the right to make appropriate adjustments in accordance with the law and in pursuit of the best interests of our nation."

He repeated the Government's position, as outlined by Minister of National Security Stuart Young on Tuesday, that "drug runners, gun runners, human traffickers, others linked to organised crime in South America, and specifically by mercenaries who contribute to the exploitation of women and children and profit directly from the facilitation of illegal crossings" are breaching this country's borders, which have been closed since March 22.

"These exploiters do not seek the genuine interest of those they profit from, and they have no qualms about adjusting their strategies to take advantage of any loopholes that may be created by others. In the current circumstances our nation simply cannot open its borders or reduce protections for the health and welfare of our people. Even developed nations with far greater resources face major challenges dealing with crossings of their borders, and no nation accepts non-nationals without due process," the statement said.

The minister referred to the compassionate step taken by TT to register 16,523 migrants from Venezuela, allowing them to live and work here.

"This hospitality continues even as our economy faces significant challenges that have affected all our people. Everywhere you go in TT you find our Venezuelan brothers and sisters living, working, being educated, and engaging fully with our health care system and other sectors. We assert that this reality must be well known and acknowledged by all responsible parties."

The Prime Minister hinted that this group will likely be allowed to live in this country permanently when Cabinet reviews any extension of their status before December 31.