It is arrant nonsense to claim discrimination and racial profiling over the recent deportation of African nationals, since Guyanese nationals top the list of deportees from T&T and only a total of 70 Africans have been deported during the People’s Partnership’s term, says Attorney General Anand Ramlogan.
Speaking in the Senate yesterday, Ramlogan lashed out at critics as he used Immigration Division statistics which placed African deportees seventh down the ladder among those from other countries who have been deported from T&T. Immigration figures show most deportees were from Guyana. Ramlogan, speaking on legislation to monitor precursor chemicals which could be used to make illicit drugs, noted the African continent had a large heroin and cocaine-trade problem.
He said in the face of rapidly emerging global terrorist threats by Al Qaeda and Isis put intended chemical weapons legislation into sharp focus. He added: “Recently, we were faced with the issue of illegal immigrants, some of whom have alleged criminal and terrorist links in other parts of the world.
“The Immigration Division and the Ministry of National Security have stepped up their efforts over the last few years to prevent the influx of illegal immigrants and to repatriate those who are found to be residing in T&T illegally.” He said one must be careful when “we receive reports from security agencies not to heap scorn on them.” Ramlogan said people called on the police to do their duty to enforce the law and when they did take action, the same people criticised and condemned them for doing so.
He added: “The latest trend is ‘racial profiling’ and ‘religious profiling.’ I don’t know what we expect the police to do or how we expect the police to do their duty. “It’s high time we stop this hypocritical behaviour in T&T and allow law enforcement to do their jobs. “The latest outcry (is) on deportation of our brothers and sisters from the African continent... but it’s arrant nonsense to claim discrimination and profiling.
“From 2010 to now, the number one country concerning deportees from T&T is not the African continent, or India, it’s Guyana.” Saying Guyanese were the single largest number of people deported from 2010 to now, he said that figure was 41.8 per cent of deportees. This was followed by Jamaica with 18.5 per cent, the Dominican Republic/Cuba and Caricom states, Asia, Central and South America.
Ramlogan added that illegal immigrants from the African continent were “way down the list, at seventh place.” He added: “Since 2010 when this Government entered office, the total number of African immigrants deported from T&T is 70 people—70 in almost five years.