PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – The Trinidad and Tobago government says the influx of thousands of illegal Jamaicans into the country is putting a strain on its resources, resulting in the loss of more than a billion dollars (One TT dollar =US$0.16 cents) annually.

National Security Minister Gary Griffith in a statement supporting the actions of Immigrations officers to deport 13 Jamaicans last month, said the authorities cannot act as a “rubber stamp” when it comes to allowing people into the country.

“It is to be noted that at this present time, there are more than 19,000 Jamaicans in Trinidad and Tobago who have entered at legitimate ports of entry, but who have remained illegally and cannot be accounted for,” Griffith said.

He described the statistics as “alarming”, saying “that these people are dependent on State resources such as education and health care, may be employed and are not subject to taxes, which amounts to a loss of revenue of over $1 billion per annum”.

Earlier this week, the main opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) called on the Portia Simpson-Miller government to immediately address reports that Jamaican nationals were being harassed on visiting Trinidad and Tobago.

JLP spokesman on Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Edmund Bartlett said he also wanted the government to deal with “increasing incidence of harassment and demeaning treatment of Jamaicans attempting to visit CARICOM member states”.

Bartlett in a statement called on Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister AJ Nicholson, to address the situation in Trinidad and Tobago, saying “this is the latest of a series of similar complaints by our citizens attempting to be landed in these countries about crude, uncivil and embarrassing treatment by our regional partners.

“Certainly, if the provisions of the Treaty of Chaguaramas are to be taken seriously, particularly as it relates to freedom of movement, then Minister Nicholson must move to protect our nationals’ rights to travel within CARICOM and to be treated decently and with respect,” he said.

Bartlett said that if Jamaicans cannot be accorded respect and dignity, then the meaning of regional integration is “hollow and a farce” and could lead to renewed calls for Jamaica to leave the 15-member CARICOM grouping.

In his statement, Griffith said that the carte blanche facilitation of entry of visitors into Trinidad and Tobago, without proper checks and balances as stipulated in the Immigration Act, creates the potential for an exponential increase in criminal activity, since the majority of these persons will have no fixed place of abode in this country and are unable to work or acquire a source of income.

He said Immigration officers receive extensive training in various interviewing and profiling techniques, which, coupled with information communicated from Intelligence Agencies via the Border Management System (BMS) ensures that an informed and unbiased decision is made regarding admission or refusal of persons seeking entry.

He reiterated that there was no abuse of authority in refusing entry to the 13 Jamaicans and immigration authorities carry out their duties and play a pivotal role in securing this country’s borders while facilitating the free movement of CARICOM nationals as enshrined in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.

Griffith said CARICOM nationals do not have an automatic entry into Trinidad and Tobago, and they must meet immigration requirements, noting that Article 46 (3) of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas makes provision for each member state to protect its citizens. 

“This ultimately means that the immigration authorities of any member state may deny the entry of a CARICOM national where it has been determined on reasonable grounds that the entry of the person would be detrimental to the interests of its citizens,” Griffith said.

He said it was the duty of the National Security Ministry to ensure that each and every visitor who enters this country, does not in any way become a liability to the State, which can become possible if persons attempt to enter with no skills certificate, no possible employer and nowhere to live.

“Failure to follow these regulations would establish a virtual open door policy, thereby reducing immigration to a rubber stamp division, with no authority to debar anyone from entering the country.

“The negative implications of such a policy include an increase in the unemployment rate and an adverse effect on the national economy, since the Government of Trinidad and Tobago will now have to bear the burden of providing education, health care and other social amenities at taxpayers’ expense to tens of thousands of undocumented migrants,” Griffith added.