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In this session from the IN-CJ Newsdesk 2022, Professor Christopher Brown (Political Sciences and International Studies Georgia Southern University USA), and Dr Georgina Chami, (Lecturer, International Relations University of the West Indies, St Augustine Trinidad), discuss the plight of forced migrants, refugee and asylum seekers in Trinidad and Tobago during the COVID-19 pandemic. They consider the Gaps and Gains in Trinidad and Tobago’s migration policy and legal framework, and look at lessons from Latin American and the Southern Caribbean to mitigate the exploitation and victimisation of migrants with enhanced human rights, work rights and convention rights.
In addition, Dr Seemungal discusses the paradigm shift to e-justice during the lockdowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, with emphasis on Domestic Violence Protection.
This IN-CJ Newsdesk session examined the impact of the Venezuelan migration crisis on Trinidad and Tobago, exploring how the country has responded to unprecedented flows of refugees and migrants without a formal migration framework, and what this means for justice, rights, and social cohesion.
The discussion began with an overview of how courts in Trinidad and the Eastern Caribbean adapted during COVID-19 through the use of e-justice platforms, particularly in cases involving domestic violence. This shift highlighted both the potential of digital justice tools and the uneven access faced by vulnerable groups, including migrants.
Attention then turned to the Venezuelan refugee crisis, which has brought tens of thousands of people across the short maritime border into Trinidad and Tobago. Families, unaccompanied children, and people with health needs have arrived without documentation, leaving them at risk of exploitation, trafficking, and criminalisation. In the absence of a formal migration or refugee policy, many are automatically labelled “illegal,” intensifying discrimination and exclusion.
The session showcased the role of international agencies – including UNHCR, IOM, UNICEF, and UN Women – alongside local NGOs such as the Living Waters Community and the Family Planning Association, which have stepped in to provide food, shelter, health care, education, and legal support. Despite these efforts, challenges remain acute. Migrants face barriers to work, education, and healthcare, while host communities struggle with economic stress and rising xenophobia.
Contributors stressed the urgent need for Trinidad and Tobago to establish a coherent migration framework aligned with international human rights standards, and for greater regional collaboration across the Caribbean and Latin America. Without systemic reform, ad hoc measures will continue to leave migrants in precarious positions and risk undermining social cohesion.
This Newsdesk session underlined that migration is not only a humanitarian concern but also a criminal justice and human rights issue, demanding coordinated, rights-based, and inclusive responses.
Listen to the full discussion in IN-CJ Newsdesk – Migration and Refugees in Trinidad and Tobago.