After a Trinidad and Tobago court recognised “shocking and appalling” treatment of a Venezuelan child at the Chaguaramas Heliport detention facility, some are calling for the controversial facility to be closed. Previously, detainees have protested the conditions they were forced to endure at the facility, and human rights activists in the country have argued that […]
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago: Covid-19 and Detention
On 5 February 2022, the Trinidad and Tobago coast guard opened fire on a boat carrying some 40 people fleeing Venezuela, wounding a woman and killing her nine-month-old baby. The country’s coast guard stated its personnel had opened fire in “self-defence” to prevent being rammed by the boat. Human rights activists as well as the […]
Trinidad and Tobago Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Trinidad and Tobago Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Trinidad and Tobago, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Trinidad and Tobago Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Trinidad and Tobago: Country Page Trinidad and Tobago: COVID-19 Updates Report: Immigration detention in Trinidad and Tobago […]
Trinidad and Tobago: Covid-19 and Detention
Trinidad and Tobago adopted a series of measures in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, including health-related measures, employment benefits, food handouts, and temporary extension of residence permits and certificates. However, most asylum seekers and irregular migrants, mainly from Venezuela, did not benefit from these measures, aside from receiving primary health care (see 9 May Trinidad […]
Trinidad and Tobago: Covid-19 and Detention
Trinidad and Tobago reportedly operates one dedicated immigration detention centre, the Aripo Detention Centre in Arima, which has a total capacity of 150 places. In recent years, the country has cracked down on Venezuelan migrants and asylum seekers who have fled violence and economic hardship in their country. The Covid-19 pandemic reached the Carribean in […]
Immigration detention in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago, one of the wealthiest countries in the Caribbean, has worked to limit unauthorized migration to help boost its tourism appeal. It opened a dedicated immigration detention centre in 2009. The country’s immigration laws also provide criminal penalties for various violations, including six-month prison sentences for re-entry after expulsion. […]