THE responsibility for deportees should fall under the Ministry of Justice

In a statement on Tuesday, Griffith said because Ministry of Justice, as it was drafted, was specifically intended to deal with the entire justice system, not just the prison system.

“Its aims were to reduce recidivism, to ensure people do not return to a life of crime after leaving prison, and also to improve the rehabilitation of individuals once they are released. This means that the responsibility for the 21 deportees should fall under the Ministry of Justice and not the Ministry of Homeland Security,” he said.

Griffith disagreed with media statements made by a regional security expert that Trinidad and Tobago was not fully equipped to handle returning deportees.

He said, “The individuals being returned are citizens of Trinidad and Tobago. As such, we have a legal and moral obligation to accept them. This is no different from what any sovereign country would expect if the roles were reversed.

“These are not foreign criminals being “dumped” on our soil — they are nationals who have served their sentences abroad and are now being repatriated, as is standard international practice.”

Griffith also said, “It is deeply troubling that comparisons are not being made between these returnees and the dozens of individuals released from our local prison system every week after completing their sentences.”

He said the population should not assume they pose a greater threat simply because they served time in the US.

“This is not to say we should trivialise legitimate security concerns. Due diligence must always be done when individuals re-enter society — regardless of whether they are returning from a foreign prison or a local one,” Griffith also said.

He said to refer to these citizens as inherently unmanageable, without knowing their individual circumstances or offences, was reckless as most have already paid their dues through the judicial systems of another country.

“It is our job now to ensure that, if reintegration support is needed, it is provided — but without fearmongering or scapegoating,” Griffith said.

The Ministry of Homeland Security initially issued the media release announcing that 21 deportees from the US were being returned to Trinidad.

Minister of Defence Wayne Sturge further revealed that three of the deportees were sex offenders, one convicted murderer and a convicted human trafficker.