In April, 82 Venezuelans were sent back to Venezuela by the officials of Tobago and Trinidad. Even though there had been numerous deportations in the past, this one is important because the Venezuelans were migrants who were seeking asylum or were hoping to file refugee status. The governments of Trinidad and Tobago had claimed that the migrants were held for different kinds of criminal offenses and that they wanted to return home.

Ever since this incident, the Venezuelans in Trinidad and Tobago are scared that they too would meet the same fate. The efforts to speak with them have not yielded any kind of positive results. It is hard to figure out the number of Venezuelans who are fleeing to Trinidad and Tobago. The Chief Immigration Officer Charmaine Ghandi-Andrews mentioned that around 150 to 200 Venezuelans were entering the country every week but the number does not include the ones who are being smuggled into the country through the various ports of entry.

Andrews estimates that around 60,000 Venezuelans had arrived in the country between 2014 and 2016. In spite of the crackdown, the Catholic leaders on the islands are working hard to ensure that the Venezuelans receive compassion and feel at home. After the April deportation, the Archbishop of Port of Spain Charles Jason Gordon voiced his opinions regarding the treatment of the Venezuelans and other migrants by the government. He claimed that the citizens were stingy.

The archbishop had announced that the Ministry for Refugees and Migrants would be established in every ecclesial community and parish on the two islands. The initiative would be launched on World Refugee Day and it keeps close association with the Bridges of Solidarity project which is promoted by Pope Frances.