The Defence Minister says that there is nothing to suggest there has been any increase in migrants from Venezuela to Trinidad and Tobago following the operations by U.S. forces in Venezuela on Saturday.
In fact, he says "depending on how" things unfold in the next few months, Venezuelans who once sought a better life in their country might actually be looking to go back home.
00:00So it was a data document and that document was relative to U.S. carriers so no other carriers were warned and it's almost routine so that there's situational awareness from pilots and so on but all airspace was never closed.
00:18Defense Minister Wayne Sturge as he spoke about social media posts about a U.S. FAA advisory to air carriers or airlines during an interview with TV6 News at the Defense Ministry on Tuesday.
00:30We spoke with Minister Sturge as there continue to be concerns about any possible fallout from U.S. forces having taken Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and his wife to the U.S. from their home in Venezuela which is Trinidad and Tobago's closest South American neighbor.
00:45In terms of, let's say, in the first instance, you obviously have a possible increase of migration, of illegal immigration from Venezuela to Trinidad and Tobago border security, that kind of thing.
00:57Well, in terms of the migrant situation, that has not happened.
01:07Whilst it is always a possibility, we are weighing the scales, so to speak, because I think there's a shift and the persons who ran from Maduro, I think, depending on how it unfolds in the next few months, they might actually be looking to go back home.
01:34Minister Sturge told TP6 News Trinidad and Tobago is not at war with anyone.
01:39But Venezuela is seven miles away or less.
01:45So, obviously, you have to anticipate what are the possibilities, the different fact scenarios that may play out and prepare for it.
01:57But I think the biggest thing we are looking at now is spillage, and that eventuality has, in essence, passed, unless things take a different turn.
02:12Spillage in terms of migrants, that's basically it.
02:17Defence Minister Sturge said the government's major concerns are about, quote, the influx of drugs, guns and human trafficking, unquote.
02:25Should people be concerned at this time about the radar in Tobago that was installed by the U.S., given the action by the U.S. in Venezuela?
02:34No, they should not be concerned, and we are better off with it than without it, don't you think?
02:40And in any event, what happened on Saturday, the aircraft which were involved, the ships were involved, the aircraft, from my understanding, left from Puerto Rico.
02:57Some of them left from the USS Gerald Ford.
03:02There are radar installations on those, on the aircraft carrier and in Puerto Rico.
03:09So there is no need for the use of that radar.
03:13What about what the Defence Minister called the least intrusive state of emergency in Trinidad and Tobago?
03:19Is there the possibility of another extension of the state of emergency?
03:22At this stage, the assessment continues, so it's a bit early to see, but the next stage would require the involvement of the Senate,
03:35and that might, we'd have to convince the independent senators, so we don't know.
03:40It might not be necessary, as I said a few seconds ago.
03:45It's a continuous assessment, so it's too early to see.
03:47The state of emergency's most recent extension occurred via the government's majority in the House of Representatives.
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