CARENAGE – THE Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard (TTCG) escorted 17 out of 18 Venezuelans who were held entering local waters illegally on Wednesday.
Police held the 18 Venezuelan nationals, including three children, in a boat near Smith Hill in Carenage around 5.30 a.m. All were said to be from Guiria.
Officers of the Western Division intercepted the vessel and detained the migrants.
On a WhatsApp video, the nine males were made to lie on their stomachs while the six women and three children stood nearby.
In a release on Wednesday night, the Coast Guard said 17 of the 18 occupants of the vessel were escorted back into the Venezuelan waters by the TTCG after instructions were received by the Immigration Division.
According to the TTCG, a child who was among the occupants of the vessel was allowed to stay in Trinidad and Tobago since his mother was a registered Venezuelan.
