Apex of inhumanity

THE ARREST of nearly 200 Venezuelans at the Apex Sports Bar, St James, on Sunday, days after a High Court judge urged the Government to take urgent steps to implement international refugee treaties, is deeply disturbing. It suggests the State not only continues to drag its feet when it comes to bringing about a more humane environment but may well have been emboldened to move in the opposite direction.

The Government, of course, is generally not involved in the day-to-day operations of the police. However, the Cabinet does set the tone and is responsible for outlining policies for the areas overseen by it, inclusive of national security.

The timing of Sunday’s early morning operation, which took place a stone’s throw from the St James Police Station, is concerning. Not only did it come days after the ruling of Justice Frank Seepersad on the non-enforceability of the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, but the decision to conduct a raid at a recreational venue on a weekend raises a lot of red flags.

More information about the incident, which reportedly saw Venezuelans taken away in police buses, continues to emerge. Some reports raise concerns that not only might xenophobia have played a role but also homophobia. Either way, the history of the treatment of Venezuelans in this country by law enforcement authorities has long suggested abuse of power.

And yet, state officials will be the first to tell us how humanely asylum-seekers from our closest neighbour are being treated. They will point to repeated extensions of the Migrant Registration Framework, with work permit exemptions being only last month extended to the end of this year. They will note key collaborations with religious bodies and entities such as the Roman Catholic Church and the Living Water Community.

They will also observe migrants, like anyone else in TT, are subject to and protected by the Constitution of this country.

Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds has sought to isolate the reach of Justice Seepersad’s ruling to the specific case involved. Given the wide nature of the judge’s concerns, though, that is not good enough.

There needs to be greater clarity over the circumstances, unique or otherwise, of this week’s police action.

There should also be a clearer policy position articulated by the State over what steps, if any, the Government is prepared to take to make conditions more humane, outside of legislation.

Meanwhile, the reported move to take steps to bring about the integration of the children of Venezuelan nationals into the national school system by the next term, if fully implemented, would be a good start. It would go some way to signalling that the State is serious about reform.