(CMR) Following a report that 16 Venezuelan children and their mothers were placed on boats and escorted out of Trinidad and Tobago, the country's Minister of National Security has sought to clarify the incident.
At a press briefing on Tuesday, security minister, Stuart Young , said that the government has always sought to protect citizens in the island legally.
Young asserted that no one person or group could change the laws of the country to suit their interest, adding that he was aware of the “emotion and how people try to manipulate the situation”.
Stuart took issue with the use of the term “deportation” noting that he had not authorized the removal of the children, adding that while deportation was a common method used to repatriate illegal immigrants, he is uncertain of the method used in this particular instance.
In fact, Stuart went on to share that despite media reports, he still had not gotten a sense of whether the claims made by the group were even true.
“That particular incident, I was not aware of it until I was asked to attend court that night, and even then, I wasn’t allowed to ask questions. Right now, for me, a lot of that is speculation,” Young said.
“I can’t even give a guarantee as to who was on that vessel, where, anything like that. I was not there. I don’t know anything more than what I’ve seen and read,” added Young.
Young also used the occasion to remind Trinidadians that the country's borders have been closed since March 22, to both nationals and non-nationals.
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
