The Challenges of Immigrant Policy Formation in Trinidad and Tobago: A Civil Society Perspective

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Shelly Ann Tirbanie
Michał Pawiński

Abstract

In 2019, the government of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) embarked on a Venezuelan Registration Exercise with over 16,000 Venezuelan nationals registered. The migratory flows such as the present experience have highlighted the weaknesses in the existing national policy framework of T&T. The inclusion of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the process of policy formation has been limited, while communication with governmental stakeholders to solve the challenges has been underwhelming. The present study conducted interviews with 12 CSOs in T&T with the objective of identifying the challenges they face in forming and implementing migrant policy, their experiences with political stakeholders, and their expectations of future collaboration. The research findings propose the need for the Civil Society Network in T&T and the Caribbean region to address the escalating migratory crisis.

Article Details

Section
Articles (refereed)
Author Biographies

Shelly Ann Tirbanie, Independent Researcher

Ms. Shelly Ann Tirbanie earned her MSc in Global Studies from the Institute of International Relations at the University of the West Indies (UWI) in Trinidad and Tobago. Her thesis was titled “The Role and Contributions of Civil Society Organizations in Shaping National Policies that Facilitate Migrant Integration in Trinidad and Tobago”, during which she interacted with the Venezuelan migrant community and various civil society organizations to assess challenges and opportunities on both ends. 

Michał Pawiński, University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago

Michał Pawiński is an academic nomad who worked in East Asia, Eastern Europe, and, currently, in the Caribbean at the Institute of International Relations at the University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago. His research focuses on security studies with ongoing empirical projects in broadly defined themes such as Terrorism, Small Arms Trafficking, Human Trafficking, Private Security Companies, Prison Service, and Military Collaboration.