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Reports: Nearly 1,200 T&T Nationals Listed For Deportation From United States

According to an unconfirmed document from the United States Immi­gration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and a branch of ICE that enforces immigration laws, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), a total of 1,197 Trinidad and Tobago nationals are among 1.4 million foreign nationals listed for deportation from the United States.

The unconfirmed document, dated 24th November, 2024, has been widely circulated on social media in the past week, following the Inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump on 20th January, 2025.

The document, reported on by Fox News on 11th December, 2024, states there were 1,445,549 foreign nationals on ICE’s non-­detained docket with final orders of removal.

The top four (4) countries with the highest number of nationals listed for deportation are as follows:
  • Honduras - 261,651
  • Guatemala - 253,413
  • Mexico - 252,044
  • El Salvador - 203,822

In the English-speaking Carib­­bean region, Jamaica and Guyana have the highest number of people to be deported. The following is a breakdown of some countries in this region on the list:
  • Jamaica - 5,120
  • Guyana - 1,236
  • Trinidad and Tobago - 1,197
  • Bahamas - 426
  • ​St. Lucia - 202
  • Barbados - 151
  • Grenada - 149
  • Suriname - 137
  • St. Vincent and the Grenadines - 127
  • Antigua and Barbuda - 110

Other significant numbers on the list include:
  • Haiti - 32,363
  • Venezuela - 22,749
  • ​Dominican Republic - 12,699

According to Fox News, the number of illegal immigrants on the non-detained docket has surged from 3.7 million in fiscal 2021 to nearly 4.8 million in fiscal 2022, and more than 7 million in fiscal 2023.

While many individuals in this category are recent arrivals, others are said to have lived in the U.S. for decades.

ICE said in an accompanying note that it cannot provide case-specific reasons for deportations. However, several factors may prevent removal, including pending appeals, alternative forms of deportation protection, and inclusion in alternatives to detention programmes.

“Non-citizens may pursue a form of relief or protection from removal, which may include asylum, withholding of removal, or protection under the Convention Against Torture. If a non-citizen is granted any form of relief from removal, ICE is unable to effectuate the removal,” the note said.

The document further states that the U.S. Government believes every country has an obligation to accept the return of its citizens and nationals deemed ineligible to remain in the United States.

A lack of co-operation from foreign Governments can delay or inhibit the removal process. Countries are expected to confirm the citizenship of individuals suspected to be their nationals, issue travel documents promptly, and accept their return via scheduled commercial or charter flights.

The document said that currently, ICE considers fifteen (15) countries un-co-operative in accepting deportees, including Bhutan, Burma, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Laos, Pakistan, People’s Republic of China, Russia, Somalia, and Venezuela.

Additionally, eleven (11) countries, inclu­ding Jamaica and St. Lucia, are classified as “at risk of non-compliance.”

More on this as it becomes available.

[Source: Trinidad Express]

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