I am incensed! I generally do not share my personal feelings via traditional or social media, but feel strongly that the spotlight needs to be put on this issue repeatedly until it is addressed.
The Trinidad-Jamaica diplomatic impasse has been very close to home for many years for my family, as my younger brother has faced and surmounted ridiculous challenges to complete his tertiary education and settle in Trinidad with the love of his life, now his wife, over the last five years.
Each time he has come home to visit, he has been harassed by Trinidadian immigration officials upon his return, each time requiring the intervention of senior management, his school, his in-laws, etc, to enable him to re-enter the country, where he has been visiting/residing since 2011.
Last week my brother and his wife returned to Jamaica to take part in the wedding of his best friend, less than a year after tying the knot themselves here in Jamaica, and returning to Trinidad as newly-weds, suffering minor harassment even then.
In addition, he came to have his police record and fingerprints done for his application for permanent residence in Trinidad based on his marriage to a Trinidadian. So his reason for returning home was two-fold. He had also only just received his CSME skills certificate which allows him to work in the country—which was not without its challenges.
Last Tuesday evening he returned to Trinidad a day ahead of his wife because of issues with getting a flight. He spent Tuesday night detained in the departure lounge at Piarco Airport, his passport confiscated, having been notified in a most ignorant and disgusting manner by a male immigration officer that he had been denied entry and that he would be flown back to Jamaica the following morning. Reason: He did not meet the requirements for entry.
When he asked what specific requirements were unmet he was told by the officer that he was not obligated to give him a reason, other than that he did not meet the requirements. His subsequent questions were ignored, and my brother was forced to sign a document stating that he was denied entry. He was then rudely advised by the officer that he would “need more than a marriage certificate and a return ticket to get into this country!”
He was then told by another immigration officer after having presented all the standard documents requested on multiple occasions—ie his passport, a return ticket and his marriage certificate—that he needed to present his degree as proof of study in Trinidad, and that his Jamaican marriage certificate was irrelevant without proof of his wife’s nationality.
His in-laws drove two hours to retrieve the additional documents requested and subsequently spent the night camped out at the airport, unable to see or contact an officer or supervisor. When they were finally able to present the documents the next morning, the immigration officials on hand said they weren’t sufficient to change their decision.
Eventually, the intervention of a Trinidadian government minister, thankfully a friend of his wife’s family, was required to have his issue objectively aired and resolved. Upon her intervention, the reason provided for his denial of entry was that he did not have a return ticket! This was one of the first documents he provided to each of the immigration officials that interrogated him during the over 12-hour ordeal. To add insult to injury, their parting advice to him was that next time, it was best for him not to travel without his wife!
So let’s recap. My brother is an educated, skilled Caricom national, with a degree from an accredited Trinidad college, married to a Trinidadian, who met the criteria of and recently acquired his CSME skills certificate. So tell me, what exactly is the profile of an “unwelcomed Jamaican” in this context, besides being in possession of a Jamaican passport?
Why does this ridiculous display of nationalist intolerance continue to be condoned/tolerated by either of our governments and Caricom?
Much has been said in the media recently of an imbalance in Jamaica/T&T exports vs imports, and a weakening of diplomatic relations.
But our ties go far deeper than trade and diplomatic relations. No one speaks of the unnecessary strain imposed on families, and the threatened viability of personal relationships.
Some of my closest friends are either Trinidadian, or the product of Trinidadian and Jamaican parentage. I know several people of both nationalities who study, live, work and/or are raising families in the respective countries. In fact by the joining of our families last year, I now have a large number of family members in Trinidad. And I'm far from unique in this regard.
Incidentally, over the past two days I have heard so many stories of Trini/Jamaican husbands and wives who have had to make difficult decisions to migrate or live apart temporarily because of this untenable situation.
We have the same history, share the same regional space, and as part of Caricom, contend with the same factors as we seek to maintain our footing in a global economy that favours first world status and resources. Why then should the picture of our respective futures diverge along such primitive and nonsensical lines?
This rubbish has to stop! I’ve heard talk of new measures being put in place at the airports to improve the treatment of Jamaican nationals in Trinidad, but clearly we are yet to see the rubber hit the road.
Honourable heads of government, ministers of Foreign Affairs, respectfully, please take charge and fix this mess before our differences become truly irreconcilable.
A Jamaican national
and Caricom resident
Via email