Once the Trump administration had made its position clear on removing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and even possibly going after its abundant oil and gas resources, Trinidadian Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar made no secret of her republic’s support for any military U.S. action against the neighboring South American nation.
Saying the time had come to move against alleged international drug cartels using her nation as a base to funnel narcotics north to the U.S., the cabinet even offered Trinidad as a launch pad for military operations against Venezuela, especially if Venezuela ever attacks fellow Caribbean Community nation, Guyana, with which it has a longstanding border demarcation row.
“Kill them all violently,” the PM said publicly, irking Venezuelan authorities, leading to a diplomatic tit for tat that has resulted in Venezuela making open threats of violence against Trinidad if the U.S. attacks militarily. Foreign Minister Yván Gil has even said that “the one whose prime minister threatens us and has assumed a position of constant war against Venezuela, even against its own people, would suffer the most tragic consequences of any intervention.”
As the tit for tat continues between two neighbors that had traditionally shared extremely close ties, Trinidad is now preparing to round up and deport Venezuelans living there illegally and those in state prison systems as convicts or on remand awaiting court hearings.
“All illegal immigrants detained are to remain at the immigration detention center until their repatriation. No further orders of supervision shall be issued,” stated the homeland security ministry. An estimated 50,000 Venezuelans are believed to be living in the country.
Authorities have also cut the number of work permits to be issued to Venezuelan migrants, triggering a wave of resignations from work sites as most said they would rather head to neighboring Guyana, Brazil, and other places rather than be detained like common criminals. Many are selling off possessions and giving up rented apartments to avoid being rounded up and detained.
As well, many said they do have work permits, pay taxes, and possess legitimate jobs. Yet the atmosphere in the country for them is being poisoned to such an extent that many think the time has come to leave.
Statistics published by the Guardian newspaper this week show that the ministry has reduced the tally of permits issued from 4,275 to less than 800 this year, reflecting a whopping 82 percent cut.
Apart from local support for the U.S. as it builds its armada of warships in Caribbean waters, Venezuela is particularly angry with Trinidad and its sister federation island of Tobago for allowing a U.S. guided missile destroyer to dock in Port of Spain a week ago for alleged joint exercises with local troops.
PM Persad-Bissessar’s basic argument is that some of the high-powered weapons used to commit an average of 600 murders annually have recently come from across the seven-mile Gulf of Paria separating the two. She also complains about drugs and human trafficking and their consequences for her federation, contending that any reduction in illicit activity would be good for her nation of 1.3 million.
As an indication of how badly relations between the two have tanked, thousands of Trinidadians flocked to supermarkets and stores over the weekend, others fled the city, and parents picked up children prematurely from school after the local military was placed on full alert on Friday. The police service did likewise but quickly abandoned the exercise, suggesting there was no real threat of military action in the region or against the republic.
The prime minister, the supermarket association, and ministers were forced to issue statements to calm the nerves of those in a state of panic, assuring the nation that nothing negative was afoot.
“Be calm. There is nothing to fear. We have been receiving intelligence reports and thus far, I have none that there is an imminent strike anywhere in the region. If and when that happens, I will share it with you as soon as it comes to me,” she told reporters.
It is unclear what would actually occur if and when there is military action against Venezuela but local analysts have urged the PM to shut up and use diplomacy rather than threats against Venezuela as it makes little sense to place the federation in the middle of a conflict that does not directly affect the nation.
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